Situated 10km south of Oñati, the Santuario de Arantzazu is a busy Christian pilgrimage site that's a fabulous conflation of piety and avant-garde art. The sanctuary stands where shepherd Rodrigo de Baltzategi reportedly discovered a statuette of the Virgin among thorn bushes in 1468. It owes its current austere but highly original look to a 1950s rebuilding by Basque architects. Controversies over the innovative style meant that the complex's sculpture and murals were not completed till the 1980s.
The overwhelming impression is one of mystery and abstract artistry. The facade of the main basilica is adorned with a line of 14 chiselled apostles and one cloakless Virgin standing over the prone figure of Christ – together comprising one monumental work created by the great Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza. Descend into the crypt for a look at the powerful murals by Néstor Basterretxea.
