La Antigua hermitage in Zumarraga

The hermitage of la Antigua in Zumarraga is known as the cathedral of the Basque hermitages, the epitome of beauty and spectacularity of these temples in our territory. And there are many reasons why.

In this temple the oak wood and the stone unite to shape something unique, that takes us to the past of inland Gipuzkoa, to the talent of carpenters in conjunction with the skill of the area’s quarry workers, to the pilgrims walking for days to visit the temple. When you discover that there are no nails in the timber structure, that everything is assembled, admiring the builders of the place is normal. And in the same way the two materials unite, so do two architectural styles, Gothic and Romanesque, that in la Antigua make a spectacular vision.

MYTHICAL ORIGINS

As everything old, the first mention of La Antigua is from 1366, and has a good part of legend. It is said that when the hermitage was built, the Jentil knew about their end and tried to destroy it by throwing stones at it from nearby mountains. Stones that locals took advantage of and used to build the temple. Nowadays there are no Jentil, but this fantastic hermitage is still standing despite all the passed centuries.