SAINT MARY · ART AND FAITH
Dear visitor, welcome to the town of Tolosa and its parish church of Saint Mary. This majestic temple was built thanks to the deep faith of the people of this noble town. It has been visited, in search of moments of recollection and prayer, both by parishioners and by travellers, pilgrims and merchants on their way through Tolosa.
We will tell you a bit of history before delving into this place full of art and spirituality. The origins of Tolosa go back to distant times. There is knowledge of remote settlements, but few data are preserved from those times, as well as from the later Romanization.
According to a document dated September 1023 by the Council of Pamplona, the territory of Tolosa was subject to the jurisdiction of the Bishopric of Pamplona. And so it continued until in 1862 the Pope erected the Diocese of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
In 1256 this population received the royal privilege for its foundation from the Castilian king Alfonso X the Wise. The town of Tolosa experienced times of splendour, as it was a strategic place on the route that linked Navarre with the Cantabrian ports and France. Between the years 1844 and 1854 it became the capital of Gipuzkoa, a category it had previously held, when the General Assemblies of Gipuzkoa, after the fire of 1503, decided that the mayor appointed by the king would reside in Tolosa.
“Since ancient times, this parish of Saint Mary has been the spiritual reference of the town of Tolosa, the sustenance of their faith and the sublimation of their happiness and sadness”
After these historical data and before entering the temple, contemplate the slender main doorway, topped with the central bell gable and flanked by two towers, joined by a Baroque-style balustrade. Its construction began in 1761 and is the work of the architect Martín de Carrera. The portico is crowned with the effigy of Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of Tolosa, sculpted in 1778 by Santiago Marsili, and the town’s coat of arms. Above the main door, the image of Our Lady of the Assumption.
Tolosa suffered important fires, among which we must highlight those of 1469 and 1503, when the original parish church burned down. On its remains, the works of the temple that you now visit began in 1548. Its construction lasted more than two centuries and various architectural styles were combined with the original Renaissance style. At present, the neoclassical style stands out in the altarpieces and altars, applied by Silvestre Pérez when restoring the temple after the fire of 1781.
Faced with the sobriety of its external appearance, the church of Saint Mary surprises inside for being a magnificent space perfectly proportioned. It is a hall plan church or “hallenkirche”. It is divided into three naves of equal height that are topped by false ribbed vaults and supported by six superb columns. It has 1,630 square metres, and is the largest church in Gipuzkoa after the Cathedral of San Sebastian.
Let’s cross the threshold that gives access to the sacred enclosure. We are in the lower choir. To your right is the chapel of the patron saint of Tolosaldea, the Virgin of Izaskun, a carving from the 14th century, preserved in the parish, whose facsimile is venerated in the hermitage dedicated to her on one of the slopes of Mount Uzturre. Behind her, a beautiful stained glass window of the Baptism of the Lord reminds us that here was, in the past, the baptistery. The original Romanesque façade from the 13th century is striking. It belonged to the hermitage of Saint Stephen, burned down in 1918, and was transferred to this place. It presents archivolts in a pointed arch and with sawtooth decoration, diamond tips and chequered pattern. According to some historians, this portico may be that of the church burned down in 1503, which was located in the place of the current temple.
On the opposite side, we can see the only altarpiece that survived the fire that occurred in 1781. It is a Churrigueresque altarpiece, the work of Juan Bautista Sagúes (1722-1730) from Tolosa and dedicated to the Virgin of Sorrows. The Mother of the Lord, suffering before the Passion and Death of her son, presides over the group. She is flanked by the images of “Jesus tied to the column” and “Jesus carrying the Cross”. Between them, two angels carry different symbols of the Passion. Under the altar there is a recumbent Christ, a carving from the end of the 19th century. Together with the Virgin of Sorrows and other images, they were passion floats in the Holy Week processions in the town. To his right, a sober image of the crucified Christ.
“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
Now we invite you to continue your visit along the central corridor until you reach the head of the temple, and to discover the various canvases and carvings that occupy the side altars. If you deem it appropriate, go to these altars to contemplate them in detail.
In each nave of the temple there are, in the same arrangement, three neoclassical altarpieces with large carvings and above them, at the top, a series of murals with biblical scenes.
In the first altarpiece, on the south side of the temple, we discover the effigy of Saint Joseph carrying his flowery staff and accompanied by the Child Jesus.
On the same side, in second place, is the altarpiece of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, patron saint of Gipuzkoa and founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), which displays the book “Regulae Societatik Iesu” Rules or Constitutions of the Society of Jesus. In the lower part of the set, there is a simple carving of Blessed María Antonia Bandrés and Elosegui, a Jesuit nun, from Tolosa.
Next, there is the altarpiece dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary whose effigy, with fine features and great serenity, floats on a cloud from which different angelic figures emerge. Mary presents her Son and offers us her Rosary from her hand.
Above these altarpieces we can distinguish the murals painted by Eugenio Azcue (from Orio) that represent “The resurrection of Lazarus”, “The adulterous woman before Jesus” and “The Resurrection of Christ”.
Above the door that gives access to the sacristy there is a beautiful relief from the 16th century of the “Holy Burial of the Lord”, the work of the prestigious Basque sculptor, a native of Azpeitia, Juan de Anchieta.
In the north nave, the first altarpiece is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, one of the few saints who is represented with the Child Jesus in his arms.
Next, we see the carving of Saint John the Baptist who with his right hand points to the Lamb, symbol of Jesus Christ, while with his left he holds a banner with the words of John the Baptist about Jesus: “Ecce Agnus Dei” (This is the Lamb of God).
In the third altarpiece we can see the scene of Calvary with its usual iconographic composition: Christ crucified accompanied by the Virgin Mary, who looks up at her Son, and Saint John, the beloved disciple, whose hand rests on his chest, showing his grief to see his Lord dead. In the lower part of this set, the greatest treasure that we can find in the temple seems to go unnoticed, the Eucharistic Presence of the Lord in the tabernacle, carved in alabaster. Living Christ who has saved and redeemed us, has freely given us eternal life and is always with us.
Also, on these altarpieces we see the murals that represent the Old Testament scenes of “David before King Saul”, “The trial of King Solomon” and “Moses saved from the waters of the Nile”.
Above the access door to the chapel, we can see the impressive relief of “the Pieta” also a work by Juan de Anchieta. Mary welcomes in her arms her dead Son, once descended from the cross. The red tones increase the suffering and agony of the Mother.
Surely in your tour through this central corridor you have noticed the metallic circles corresponding to the fourteen stations of the VIA CRUCIS placed on the floor and not on the walls as usual. They invite us to walk in prayer in the footsteps of Our Lord carrying the cross to Calvary. Even though the Via Crucis traditionally concludes at the burial of Jesus, we cannot forget that on the third day Christ rose from the dead and lives fully in God. VIA LUCIS.
Behind you, on the wide choir, there is an extraordinary organ “Stoltz frères” acquired in Paris in 1885. The curious carving of Saint Michael with movement that finishes it off is striking.
We arrived at the head of the temple. At the foot of the presbytery there is a sober baptismal font, with the symbols of the “Order of the Terrace”, in which the children of Tolosa have received the sacrament of baptism for generations. The Baptism is the beginning of the Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the gateway to the rest of the sacraments.
“I am telling you the truth, that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit”
Saint John 3, 5
The canvas of the main altar, dated 1829 and the work of the painter Antonio Landa Zabala from Bergara, represents the “Assumption of Mary”, an invocation to which this temple is consecrated. It evokes the moment in which the Virgin Mary, at the end of her life, is taken to Heaven in body and soul. The angels transport her to Glory to be crowned Queen of Heaven. The relief representing the preaching of John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan River is above this large canvas.
We are finishing our visit in which we have combined art and faith. We hope your visit has been pleasant.
Before leaving the temple, we invite you to have a few moments of recollection and prayer, praising the Lord and thanking him for his real presence in the tabernacle.
We put at your disposal some prayers that can help you live a few moments of contemplation. In addition, thanks to the various links in the text, you can learn some details of the life of the Saints located in the altarpieces.
“Our salvation is a gift of the blood of Christ, because everything is Grace, everything is a free gift of God and his unconditional love for us.”
REMEMBER
Remember, oh Holy Virgin Mary!, that it has never been said that none who has go to your protection, imploring your help, has been forsaken.
Encouraged by this confidence, I come to You, Mother, Virgin of the virgins, and groaning under the weight of my sins, I dare to appear in front of You.
Mother of God, do not dismiss my supplications, listen them and accept them with kindness. Amen.
THE MAGNIFICAT
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
Enter and navigate the temple
Artwork of Eugenio Maria Azcue
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The temple is God’s house and ours. Let’s collaborate to keep it dignified. If you want to collaborate in the conservation of the Parish of Saint Mary of Tolosa, make a donation.