Marian devotion
Our Lady of Aránzazu
"You, among the thorns?" · Patron of Gipuzkoa
In the Oñati saw, the great Franciscan sanctuary of Aránzazu is the Marian heart of Gipuzkoa. His name is born from a shepherd's astonished question of the image found in a thorn.
Origin and history
The tradition places in 1469 the finding of the image by Pastor Rodrigo de Balzategi, who found it on a thorn. From his exclamation in Basque - "Arantzan zu?," "You, among the thorns?" - the name derived Arantzazu. The Franciscans settled in the place and raised the sanctuary.
Over the centuries, Aránzazu was consolidated as the great Marian sanctuary of Gipuzkoa and one of the spiritual centers of the Basque Country. The present 20th century basilica is also a milestone of contemporary art, with the intervention of artists such as Jorge Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida.
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