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Art and faith · Guadalupe
KNOW THE HISTORY OF OUR CHURCH
“Legend has it that two little shepherds were surprised by an extraordinary luminosity in the same place that this Sanctuary occupies today. As they approached, they discovered an image of the Virgin who was holding her son in her arm, shining as if it were the sun itself.”
Dear visitor, traveller or pilgrim who travels the Jacobean route through these lands towards Compostela; welcome to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most emblematic places on the North Way.
Before getting to know this place full of art and spirituality well, we will tell you a bit of history. Located on the slopes of Mount Jaizkibel and visible from the entire bay of Txingudi, this Sanctuary was erected in the 16th century. The great devotion to the Virgin Mary moved the hearts of the people of Hondarribia to build this temple to the Mother of God.
The oldest citation we have is from the year 1526, on the occasion of the donation of six gold ducats to this hermitage by the distinguished Basque navigator, Juan Sebastian Elcano, the first man to circumnavigate the Earth.
Some time later, in 1638, when the French army besieged Hondarribia, the image of the Virgin was taken down to the parish so that the people would pray for her protection against the invaders. The victory of the inhabitants of Hondarribia over the French on September 7, the eve of the Nativity of Our Lady, was considered the work of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Since then, the city of Hondarribia, in gratitude to the Virgin for the protection received from her, celebrates this victory with the famous parade (alarde) that runs through the streets of the town. In addition, every September 8 a solemn procession is carried out to this Sanctuary. Thus, it displaces the main festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which was previously celebrated on March 25, the day of the Annunciation.
“On July 1, 1638, Hondarribia was surrounded by French troops. In the first days of the siege, the inhabitants of Hondarribia, gathered in the Parish, swore to the Virgin of Guadalupe that, if through her intercession they managed to get rid of her, they would thank her every year by going in procession to her Sanctuary”
After a few brush-strokes of history, let’s cross the threshold of the temple and begin our visit. Surely the majestic crucified Christ suspended in the transept of the temple has caught your attention. Next to it, there are model ships, a reminder of the innumerable marine votive offerings that covered the walls of the Sanctuary. These offerings were very frequent to show gratitude for favours granted by the Mother of God and our Mother.
Similarly, the reliefs corresponding to the fourteenth stations of the VIA CRUCIS are distributed on the side walls. Many times it seems that the accompaniment to Jesus in his Passion and Death ends in the tomb, forgetting that on the third day, Christ was resurrected and is alive among us until the end of the world. VIA LUCIS
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.”
Saint John 3, 16
As you can see, it is a temple with a single nave with a transept. In addition, it has a lavish main altarpiece and two altarpieces and several murals on the sides. To see them in detail, we invite you to sit on the front benches.
Let’s start with the altarpiece and mural located on the right arm of the transept. The altarpiece is presided over by Saint Barbara who is escorted by the carvings of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Roch. This saint shows the sores on his leg and is accompanied by a dog that helped him in times of greatest need. This animal is a sign of providence and is always included in the iconography of the saint. The set is topped with a relief of The Visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Saint Elizabeth.
Next to it, there is an interesting mural in bluish tones. Blue is the colour of Mary, a symbol of holiness, harmony and royalty. It represents a procession in honour of the Virgin of Guadalupe who, from above, contemplates and illuminates her children. Meanwhile, the lower part shows the scene corresponding to Juan Sebastian Elcano dictating his will in 1526, before he died on the Nao Victoria, to leave the donation for the Sanctuary.
On the opposite side of the transept, you can see the mural that represents the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the Indian Juan Diego on the Tepeyac hill in 1531. The set surrounds a beautifully framed canvas of the invocation of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of America and is much loved in this fishermen’s city that is closely linked to the American continent.
Beside him, the arrowed effigy of Saint Sebastian presides over his altarpiece. Saint Sebastian was martyred for his conversion and following him to Jesus Christ. In the lateral niches we see the simple images of Saint Isidore the Labourer, patron saint of farmers, and a curious Jesus-Child.
The two lateral altarpieces come from the parish of Saint Mary of the Assumption and the Apple Tree and were brought up here in 1914, on the occasion of the restoration works of said parish temple.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.”
Saint Luke 1, 38
It is time to contemplate the main altarpiece, made in 1748, in chestnut and walnut wood. It was donated by the inhabitant of Hondarribia Mr Gabriel Jose de Zuloaga, first Count of Torre Alta and Governor of Venezuela. It has a body and four baroque columns with Corinthian capitals. Between the columns are the images of Saint Ferdinand King, the Archangel Saint Gabriel who announced to Mary that she was going to be the Mother of God, Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and Saint Anthony of Padua. These last two are among the few saints who are represented with the Child Jesus in their arms.
In the central niche, the carving of the Virgin of Guadalupe (patron saint of Hondarribia), dated between the 14th and 15th centuries, presides over the complex. It is a beautifully polychrome image, with a striking mantle, red on the inside and gold on the outside with rhomboid ornaments. She is standing, carrying a stick in her right hand and the Child, who is blessing us, rests on the left arm of her Mother. Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the 7 Black Virgins of Gipuzkoa.
“The image is carved on the front, but it is completely smooth on the back, which gave rise to the hypothesis that it was the figurehead of a ship”
An original Holy Trinity tops the altarpiece, and in the lower part of this sculptural group, the tabernacle is located, where the greatest treasure that we can find in the temple, the Eucharistic Presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle, seems to go unnoticed. The living Christ has freely saved and redeemed us, has given us eternal life and is always by our side.
“Our salvation is a gift of the blood of Christ, because everything is a free gift of God and of his unconditional love for us.”
There is not much more to tell, but to contemplate and enjoy the beautiful ensemble that extols the figure of Mary. Before leaving the temple to follow your path through lands of Gipuzkoa, we invite you to have a moment of recollection and prayer, to sit silently before the welcoming presence of Our Mother, meditating on her life of surrender and gratitude, or you can praise and accompany the Lord in his Eucharistic presence in the Tabernacle.
We offer you prayers and links that can help you in these moments of internalization. In the same way, you can know the life of the Saints who make up the altarpiece thanks to the various links in the text.
PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
O our Lady of Guadalupe,
mystical rose,
make intercession for Holy Church,
protect the Sovereign Pontiff,
help all those who invoke thee in their necessities,
and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary
and Mother of the true God,
obtain for us from thy most holy Son
the grace of keeping our faith,
sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life,
burning charity and the precious gift of final perseverance.
PILGRIM BLESSING
O God, you brought your servant Abraham out of the city of Ur of the Chaldeans, kept him on all his pilgrimages, and were the guide of the Hebrew people through the desert.
For this reason, we ask you, through the intercession of Saint John of Ortega, before whose grave we are, to deign to guard these children of yours who, for the love of your name, make a pilgrimage to Compostela.
Be a companion on the road for them, guide at the crossroads, breath in tiredness, defence in danger, shelter on the road, gentle breeze in the heat, shelter from the cold, light in the dark, comfort in their discouragements and firmness in their purposes so that, with your help, they reach the end of their journey well and, enriched with graces and virtues, they return home safe and sound, filled with eternal joy. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Help us
“For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is LOVE.” (1 Cor. 13, 13)
If you can much; much. If you can little; a little bit. If you can’t do anything; nothing.
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE CHURCH, MAKE YOUR DONATION. GOD BLESSES YOU.
