Monastery of Zenarruza | Basque Country Cultural Heritage | Tourism Euskadi
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Art & Culture

Cultural Heritage

Monastery of Zenarruza

Declared a National Monument of the Basque Country, the Monastery of Zenarruza, a former collegiate church, stands at the foot of Mount Oiz (1,026 m) just a few kilometres from the town of Bolibar, Bizkaia. Considered one of the territory's treasures, it was an important enclave on the Coastal Way of St James during the Middle Ages and, especially, the Renaissance. You can access the Monastery of Zenarruza along the remains of an ancient cobbled road, used in the past by pilgrims to Santiago. The monastery complex includes a 15th century Gothic-Renaissance style church (its highlight is the Plateresque altarpiece of the high altar), a beautiful mid-16th century cloister and the different buildings of the cloister and community life such as the abbot's house, the settlers houses and the refectory. It formerly had a hospital for pilgrims that was destroyed in a fire but, after recently being rebuilt, is now used as a hostel. Note that the monks bake pastries and have a shop in the complex where you can purchase their products.

Information of interest

Type of resources
Religious buildings
Monument type

Monastery

Address
CL Zenarruza 11 - 48279 Ziortza-Bolibar
Phone
E-mail
Web
Artistic style
Gothic-Renaissance
Period
Middle Ages (11th c.)
Activities

Ancient music season Ziortzako Kontzertuak

Services

  • Parking
  • Park
  • Conference Hall
  • Shops
  • Guided visit