San Sebastián Cathedral: Difference between revisions

Catedral del Buen Pastor de San Sebastián

The Good Shepherd Cathedral of San Sebastián (Artzain Onaren katedrala in Basque, Catedral del Buen Pastor de San Sebastián in Spanish) located in the city of San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain, is the seat of the Diocese of San Sebastián, belonging to the Archdiocese of Pamplona. The most remarkable religious building of San Sebastián, endowed with a strong verticality, and the largest of Gipuzkoa, its construction took place in the last years of the 19th century in a Historicist Neo-Gothic style. Since 1953, holds the rank of cathedral.

History

In 1881, by Royal Order, was taken to San Sebastián a new parish division that included the creation of a parish, claimed for years by locals in the southern part of the city, which later became known as the Eixample of Amara. In August of 1887 the City Council gave an area between the river Urumea and Beach of La Concha, occupied by sand dunes and marshes, to build the temple. Until it was finished, the spiritual needs of the local congregation were met by a provisional parish, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, opened in March of 1888, this rudimentary temple was made of wood and was between Loiola and Príncipe streets.

The queen regent, Maria Christina of Austria, and his son, King Alfonso XIII, opened the temple in 1897

In December 1887 a construction meeting chaired by the Dean D. Martín Lorenzo de Urizar Zalduegui-Ariño defined the bases of the contest of projects and prefixed a budget of 750,000 pesetas, same as, the ability of the temple and its architecture, it should be pointed. The projects presented were four, with the path chosen by the donostiarra architect Manuel Echave, who was entrusted with the supervision of works. The new church would take the title of the Good Shepherd.

At the laying of the foundation stone was invited to the Spanish Royal Family, who was vacationing in the city. The events took place on September 29, 1888. The queen regent, Maria Christina, her childrens and the Infante Antonio, along with ministers and other officials, attended the solemn mass that the diocesan bishop D. Mariano Miguel Gómez held in the provisional parish of the Sacred Heart. Following the ceremony, the royal entourage moved to the site for the new temple and there proceeded to lay the foundation stone, which covered a leaden box, which were enclosed pictures of the Pope and the Royal family, several currencies of the time and copies of the Gazette of Madrid and of Ecclesiastical Gazette. The minutes of the ceremony was signed by the baby king Alfonso XIII,of two and four months old, for which her mother had to take her hand, the first time that the king his signature on an official document.

Echave went to execute the works having as master of the same to José Vicente Mendía and, after the death this, to the mason master Agustín de Zumalabe. The foundation work required a careful drainage of the site, to provide consolidated sand. For the general architecture was chosen sandstone quarries of Mount Igeldo, the vaults were made with tufa from Ocio (Álava) and slate roofs are brought Angers (France). The workers were all Basques. For the size of stone of the capitals, ornaments, windows and needles that decorate the interior and exterior were presented the models accepted by the local artist Julio Gargallo.