Sancti Spiritus University Guided Tour in Oñati

Traveller Reviews Google Sancti Spiritus University

4.6 sur 5 78 reviews

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  5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Fernando Patacona on 25/09/2024

  Oñate is one of the most touristic towns in the Basque Country, where a vast and rich historical and monumental heritage is preserved with a large number of churches, palaces and stately homes, the result of a past in which Oñate was a Señorío and Condado with its own jurisdictions. granted by the king of Castile throughout the 13th to 16th centuries. The University of Oñate was founded in 1540 by Bishop Rodrigo Mercado de Zuazola, one of the most important Spanish humanists of the 16th century. It is, therefore, the oldest of the universities in Euskadi. The founding of the university meant an important economic and social development for Oñate, since for centuries it was the only existing university in Euskadi until the founding of the University of Deusto in 1886. The Sancti Spiritus University is, without a doubt, the best-known monument in Oñate. It is considered one of the most important civil buildings of the Renaissance in Euskadi, an exponent of the transition from plateresque to mannerism. This university had a strictly religious character, so, initially, classes on law, theology, arts, and even medicine were taught here. However, in 1868 after the “La Gloriosa” Revolution that gave way to the Democratic Sexennium, a change occurred causing the university to cease to have a religious character, passing into the hands of the Carlists as a university of free education, to definitively close as educational center in 1901. The building has a quadrangular floor plan and is structured around a two-story central patio with the upper floor closed by a balustrade. The cloister is made up on both floors of semicircular arches supported by cylindrical columns with Ionic capitals and Mudejar style coffered ceilings. On the spandrels there are very varied medallions and coats of arms with mythological and historical figures, among which is the figure of King Charles I, whose patronage made the construction of the university possible. On the eaves of the roof you can see a series of gargoyles representing fantastic animals. The main façade is the highlight of this building, a work by the French sculptor Pierre Picart. It is a grandiose Plateresque style façade following the lines of the Dueñas convent in Salamanca. It is made up of a doorway framed by two double pillars with bulk sculptures and topped with a semicircular arch. Above the doorway there is a niche with the praying figure of Bishop Rodrigo Mercado and on the sides four figures of tenent angels holding the family coat of arms. At the top is the coat of arms of King Charles I. Closing the central body of the façade are two tall and large pilasters, like buttresses, with double pillars with bulky figures inside and with bas-reliefs on the bases. At the corners of the two side towers there are similar pilasters. These pilasters, decorated with religious and mythological iconographic elements, taught the student about the values ​​and virtues that result from the union of the religious and pagan worlds. Among these mythological figures, it is worth highlighting those that refer to some of the 12 labors of Hercules. Inside the chapel, the magnificent Plateresque altarpiece from the 16th century stands out, a polychrome altarpiece covered with gold leaf and profusely decorated with scenes and representations of the Virgin, Saint Michael and the Holy Spirit, patron saints of this university. This chapel is topped by an impressive ribbed vault. I recommend taking a guided tour of the university, which can be booked through the nearby Tourism office. The price is 6 euros/pax and also a visit to the nearby church of San Miguel Arcángel. It is very interesting to walk through the streets of this beautiful town of Oñate, of medieval origin, and visit the church of San Miguel and the sanctuary of Arantzazu.

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  4 sur 5 Reviews posted by Laurent MAUTORD on 27/08/2024

  It's under construction, it seems closed, but in fact you have to go through the tourist office, but the visits are only in Spanish, coupled with the basilica. Without these drawbacks it is very beautiful.

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  4 sur 5 Reviews posted by gabriella on 27/07/2019

  This university, which is located opposite the tourist office in Onati, was founded in 1542 and until its closure in 1902, it was the only university in the Basque country. Nice building to see