The Road to Santiago: Bilbao Architecture 3

There´s not a lot left of medieval Bilbao apart from the street plan of the atmospheric old town. The only remnants are the late Gothic churches. Although some look great on the outside but have been liberally Baroque-ified inside, most still have their medieval interiors relatively unspoilt. Five churches in particular, all lining the northern branch (‘Camino del Norte’) of the Santiago de Compostella pilgrimage route, which goes through Bilbao, are worthy of note.

Pilgrims on their way to Santiago would first come to Nostra Senora di Begoña, apparently Biscay’s most powerful church in medieval times, on the hill above the old town. This church (the current building early 16th century, apart from the baroque spire) is built in a typical Basque style which can be found all over the Basque country, with a tall, square, hall-like nave – like the Germanic ‘hallenkirche’.

The church at Begona can be seen in many views of the city, nestled on the top of the hill over the river. Once surrounded by green hills, it is now in the middle of a residential suburb.

Down the hill, by one of the gates into the old town, the Portal di Zamudio, pilgrims would next come to Santos Juanes, with its attached convent, now the Basque Museum.

Next they would reach the church of St James – Santiago – the 15th century cathedral (with a 19th century façade) in the centre of the old town – very small for a cathedral, and not originally built as a cathedral, but a fine building. 

This church has the covered porch and arcading that is very typical of Basque churches – presumably because of the rain that falls on 50% of the days of the year.

The city´s earliest church, however, and the one pilgrims would encounter as they left the city en route to Santiago, is San Anton, which occupies a crucial site by the medieval bridge and market place. Like many Basque churches, too, it has had a Baroque bell-shaped dome added to the tower.

Nearby there is also the church of the convent of the Encarnacion, an atmospheric place where concerts of early music in Bilbao are generally held.

After leaving Bilbao, one would work through the meadows where the new town is now built, passing the church of San Vicente

And on to the town of Portugalete by the sea at the end of the estuary:

These tall, buttressed churches stand at the centre of most Basque towns. Here is another one in the town of Elorrio (near the mountains in the centre of Euskadi):

Here's one in Gernika:

And one at Vitoria: