the basilica

The basilica is the central part of the building designed by the Italian architect Carlo Maria Fontana. From the outside we can admire an impressive dome 65 meters in height, which brings balance to the 150 meter long frontage.

The first stone was laid on 28th March 1689 and the building was dedicated on 31st July 1738, the feast of St. Ignatius. The whole structure, on which up to 600 masons worked, was made of large blocks of limestone quarried from Mount Izarraitz.

the basilica

The basilica is the central part of the building designed by the Italian architect Carlo Maria Fontana. From the outside we can admire an impressive dome 65 meters in height, which brings balance to the 150 meter long frontage.

The first stone was laid on 28th March 1689 and the building was dedicated on 31st July 1738, the feast of St. Ignatius. The whole structure, on which up to 600 masons worked, was made of large blocks of limestone quarried from Mount Izarraitz.

the dome

The dome measures twenty meters in diameter and reaches fifty meters in height. Its segments are reflected in the design of the paved floor.

At the base of the dome are represented the virtues of Faith, Hope, Religion, Charity, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. Above them, there are the coats of arms of the houses of Habsburg and Bourbon, who paid for the building.

altars

The main altar was designed by Ignacio de Ibero in churrigueresque style decorated with inlaid marble and was executed between 1750 and 1757.

At the top stands a statue of Saint Ignatius of Loyola made of silver, which was given in 1758 by the Royal Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas.

The other altars are dedicated to St. Francis Borgia, St. Francis Xavier, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Protection, St. Peter Claver and St. Alphonse Rodriguez.

the organ

Built in 1889 by the French organ builder Cavaillé-Coll, it is one of the best preserved examples of a Romantic-era organ, with three keyboards and 2,172 pipes.

It is still used for liturgical celebrations and some concerts, a sign of its quality and state of preservation.