La Antigua Hermitage

Zumarraga (Urola Garaia)

On the way to Arantzazu, we come across La Antigua Hermitage, which has a stunningly beautiful interior. From the outside, its character is somewhat defensive with its late Romanesque 14th century doorway, the representation of the Calvary as a part of the temple's extension in the 15th century and the archer slits on the north and east facades.

The hermitage is home to a fascinating Gothic sculpture of the Virgin and another four figures of high artistic value. The building structure is rustic, a forest of oak that inspires awe in the visitor, in particular the woodwork on the ceiling, joists, braces, parapets, purlins..... all generously adorned with geometric motifs and female heads... typical adornments of the low Middle Ages in the Basque Region.

"The construction of this temple of Saint Mary is also laden with legend. Still today, oral tradition among the local populace maintains that the church was erected using stones that were thrown here by the "gentiles", giants of Basque mythology, from the mountain range of Aizkorri to this place called "Antigua". Actually, this story is nothing but an attempt to justify the presence of sandstone walls in this temple, since this type of rock cannot be found in a radius of several kilometers."

L. P. Peña Santiago . "La Antigua" of Zumarraga.

 

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