Zumaia » Art » Parish of San Pedro



Facade of the parish

On a small knoll, that dominates the mouth of the Urola, rises the Parish of San Pedro. In general, the building has an appearance of strength and would surely live up to this aspect in times of danger. It has two clearly noticeable sections: one vertical, formed by the tower, with an almost square ground floor, raised 34m from the ground, and the other, the horizontal mass of the church, cut rhythmically by buttresses, the only elements that alleviate the general sobriety.

The interior is a large unique gothic space of 30m in length by 14.7m wide. Beams of three columns that correspond structurally with the outer buttresses support three sections of wonderful pointed arches, typical of the final gothic. The polygonal apse is covered with a star vault from the beginning of the 16th century.

Although the history of this church is linked to the one of the old monastery of Santa Maria, which appears in documents from the 13th century, the construction of the church would probably have begun after the foundation of the town in 1347. From this first period, what seem to be the oldest parts of the temple are the first stage of the tower and the first buttresses on each side. The rest would have been completed during the 15th century (the upper part of the tower) and would have been finished in the 16th century with the presbytery vault, the choir (1530) and the side chapels (1504), founded by wealthy families of the town.

The contrast between the outer sobriety, where the defensive and voluminous character overshadows its decorative value, and the interior, where in the unique nave you can contemplate one of the most beautiful gothic spaces in the whole of the Basque Country.

Altarpiece of Juan de Anchieta



Altarpiece of Juan de Antxieta

Among the art works that the church keeps, we must draw attention to the altarpiece carved by Juan de Anchieta and assembled by Martin de Arbizu. It is a typical altarpiece from the end of the 16th century, belonging to the movement that has been called Romanism, examples of which mainly appear throughout the upper third of the peninsula. And so, in this altarpiece dedicated to Saint Peter, we find the most typical characteristics of the Romanism: constructive elements based on classic lines, monumental character of the human figures and energetic gestures in their faces. All this following the Italian mannerist trends spread by Michelangelo.

Regarding the subjects represented, we find one base or bank from the 18th century on the lower part, added to give height to the altarpiece, with which the primitive bank, carried out by the workshop of Anchieta, is nowadays on a first section, with the reliefs of the Last Supper and The Washing (of feet). In the centre, is the space reserved for the sacrarium, of which only the door with the figure of the resurrected Christ survives. The first section appears dominated by Saint Peter seated high in his chair, a summit figure in the style of Michelangelo; to his right the vocation of the saint, and to his left his liberation by the angel (this figure is impressive for its naked beauty). In the following section appears the Assumption of the Virgin in high relief surrounded by angels, a typical representation of Mary gathered in masses of folds and perhaps excessively muscular; to the right the Annunciation, and to the left the birth of the Virgin Mary. As an ornamental top for this type of altarpiece, it is normal to find the crucifixion, a scene in which Christ on the cross is flanked by the image of Virgin and Saint John.

Other elements that stand out are the sculptures, smaller in stature but not in value, like Saint John the Baptist, Saint Francis, Mary Magdalene and Saint Paul, that accentuate the vertical lines of the columns of the different sections. Worth emphasising also, is the original polychrome of the 16th century, with wonderful paintings framed in the sober, geometrical way typical of Romanism.

Reliefs in the presbytery

The small reliefs on the door of the sacristy and on the other side could be part of an old altarpiece, now disappeared. The scenes represented are the Flagellation and the Descent from the Cross.

They are in the Flemish style or Hispano-Flemish, emphasizing the expressiveness characteristic of these schools, the heirs of the gothic world.

Side chapels

The Chapel of Saint Barnabus (to the right, facing main altar) was founded by the Elorriaga family and denotes the economic motor of the 16th century in the Basque ports: the commerce with Flanders, since this panel comes from the Netherlands, in spite of the great difficulty in attributing the work to any artist in particular.

The doors of the triptych, on their outer part, contain a typical Flemish Annunciation. Each figure of the scene occupies one of the doors, with the colours being reduced to white for the Virgin and the Angel, contrasting with the garnet background.

Once the triptych is opened, the Passion of Christ appears, with the Crucifixion in the centre of the panel. Accompanying the event, the donors, with the Elorriaga family coat of arms in the centre and the protective saints of the family. The father with the male heir to the right, and the mother on the left with the rest.



Close-up of the altarpiece of Saint Anthony

The scenes from the passion represented on the side doors are: The Agony in the Garden and the Road to Calvary on the left and the Pieta and the Resurrection on the right door. The quality of the colours is obtained from oil, a new development in Flanders from the 15th century and later.

The Chapel of Saint Anthony, (to the left, facing the main altar) contains a small sculptured altarpiece to which was apparently later added the painted doors. Its Flemish allegiance is more problematic, but it is thought to be imported. The main section includes Saint Anthony, the patron saint of the Sasiola family, the patron of the chapel and the triptych. Above this, Calvary is set out; on the sides, the Passion of Christ; from top to bottom and from left to right: The Agony in the Garden, the Arrest of Jesus, Christ before Pilate, the Crowning of thorns, and an iconographic anomaly in the centre on the right side, where James appears with another person and Jesus with Veronica.



Virgin in the left recess

The doors are painted and represent themes analogous to the central panel: The Last Supper, The Resurrection, The Washing of feet and the Appearance before Mary Magdalene. The outside of the doors is painted in black and white, which was the custom for this type of triptych.

Virgin in the left recess

Virgin with the infant, may be attributed to the 14th or 15th century to a school from the north of Europe (France or Wallonia).



Christ Quintín de Torre

Christ Quintín de Torre

Crucified Christ, pertaining to one of the most interesting sculptors of the Basque Country at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Its interest is centred on its reference to the splendour attributed to Spanish polychrome carvings from the 17th century.

In spite of this, de Torre tends towards the essence of forms, in an attempt to modernise a way of representing history.



Votive panel

Votive panel (small right chapel)

This painting on the panel was donated by Juan Martinez de Mendaro, a Zumaian who led the Spanish Navy in the Battle of Gibraltar. In the lower half, a scene from this battle is portrayed, one of the first representations of this type of art. The upper half is presided over by the Virgin with the infant seated on a throne flanked by Saint Peter, who protects the donor, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria on the other side.

Saint Joseph altarpiece

Of little artistic value, it is today a set of assembled parts which have some interesting Romanist reliefs (from the end of the 16th century) and a statue of the Virgin of the Rosary, perhaps most representative of this altarpiece, since it allows us to appreciate the distribution of this type of dedication and the custom of making processional sculptures.