Sanctuary of Arantzazu
Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza; Luis Laorga · Oñati, Spain · 1955
The modern sanctuary at Arantzazu brings an ambitious group of architects and artists into a mountain pilgrimage setting. Sáenz de Oiza and Luis Laorga designed the basilica, inaugurated in 1955, with a powerful stone exterior and a sequence of works by figures including Jorge Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida. The building combines religious symbolism with the experimental language of postwar Spanish architecture. Its rugged wall surfaces and towers respond to the surrounding terrain without reproducing a traditional village church. The arrival sequence, façade sculptures and darker interior are best understood as parts of one collaborative project. Visiting: A working religious sanctuary. Respect services and locally posted visiting rules.