The parish church of Santa María | Basque Country Cultural Heritage | Tourism Euskadi
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The parish church of Santa María

The parish church of Santa María

Art & Culture

Cultural Heritage

The parish church of Santa María is one of the most magnificent churches of Gipuzkoa. It is located in the centre of Deba town and is regarded as a national monument and a real masterpiece of the Basque Gothic. Its dimensions and rich decoration make it comparable to a cathedral. The church has two aisles and a nave of the same height, a polychrome portico of delicate work, a cloister the most ancient one in the territory- and several chapels attached to buttresses. The current sanctuary was built over a former construction between the 15th and the 16th centuries. For instance, many of the elements of the old Gothic church were kept, such as the polychrome façade where the life of the Lady Mary is represented. These sculptures were created in 1465 and painted later in 1682. It was thus one of the nicest façades in the region. The private chapels, property of the well-off families of Deba, and the cloister were built in the 16th century. The lastest construction was the sacristy, built in Baroque style.

Information of interest

Type of resources
Religious buildings
Monument type

Parish church

Address
Plaza Zaharra, 7 - 20820 Deba
Phone
E-mail
Artistic style
Basque Gothic and Renaissance
Period
15th-16th century
Activities

Apart from mass services, other activities are held in the cloister, such as concerts of the 'Quincena Musical' ('Musical fortnight'), exhibitions and live music from local bands.