Sanctuary of Arantzazu

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Pilgrimage Church of Our Lady

The Sanctuary of Arantzazu (IPA: [a'ɾantsasu]) is a Franciscan sanctuary located in Oñati, Gipuzkoa, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vitoria. The shrine is a much appreciated place among Gipuzkoans, with the Virgin of Arantzazu standing for the main worship figure and patron of the province, benefiting from the highland silence and peaceful atmosphere of the Aizkorri mountain range along with a good road infrastructure, so the place is frequently visited by devotees and regional and foreign tourists alike. It's located in the site where presumably the Virgin of Arantzazu appeared to the shepherd Rodrigo Baltzategi in 1468. Legend has it, the figure of the Virgin was in a thorn-bush, and his exclamation "Arantzan zu?!" (Thou, among the thorns?!) gave rise to the name of the place. According to the linguistic explanation, the name stems from "arantza + zu", 'place abounding in thorns'.

The devotion for the Marian advocation is extended beyond Gipuzkoa and Arantzazu (or the alternate forms, Aránzazu, Arantxa and Arancha) can be found as a female name in Spain.

The place is also a starting point for several mountains trails and circuits for hikers that provide access to the meadows of Urbia and on to the mountain range Aizkorri, to the massif Aloña and to the lands south and east of the shrine. All the trails are well signalled.

[edit] The basilica

In 1950 the works for the new basilica were started. Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza and Luis Laorga were the leading architects, and other artists also took part in the work: