Points of Interest Heritage Middle Ages

Middle Ages

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Kings of Castile founded four towns in our region: Arrasate, Bergara, Leintz Gatzaga and Elgeta, respectively. The new towns assured the King a trade route from Castile towards the coast and contributed to confronting the power of the lineages.
From their founding, the municipalities developed an urban structure typical of the Middle Ages: construction of fences, gateways to control accesses, longitudinal streets and perpendicular alleyways in order to move from one point to another easily.
Today, not only is it possible to find some of these elements, but we can also admire the buildings and details of this era.
The medieval morphology of Leintz Gatzaga has barely changed throughout the centuries.
The city centres of Bergara and Elgeta also maintain the medieval layout of its streets, and in Arrasate it is surprising to see the perfect elliptical shape of its centre from the Santa Bárbara hill.

The historical nucleus of Arrasate, villa founded in 1260, follows the characteristic framework of the Middle Ages;

 

It is shaped by three lengthwise streets, Iturriotz, Erdiko Kale and Ferrerías and two crossing alleyways. All of it produces an elliptical shape.
Recent findings have allowed bringing to light part of the original wall. Access was achieved through five gateways, of which three have reached our days and present the appearance that they had in the 17th and 18th centuries: the Zurginkantoi, Concepción and Portalón gateways. This last one is located at the beginning of the street Erdiko Kale, a strategic place on the Camino Real.
The church of San Juan Bautista is the only example of Gothic religious architecture. We find it in the centre of the historic centre and the exterior stands out for its buttresses, gargoyles and pointed spans. At 17 metres of height, the crowns of the ribbed vaults represent interesting heraldic, floral and typically Gothic religious motifs.

The Municipal Charter of the founding of "Villanueva de Vergara" dates back to 1268.

 

The Municipal Charter of the founding of "Villanueva de Vergara" dates back to 1268. As with the other towns of the era, it must have been walled but sufficient remains have not been found that draw its exact periphery.
Walking through the three main streets of the historical district of Bergara, we discover the framework of the medieval structure. It is composed of three main streets: Barrenkale, Artekale, the street that joins the Camino Real, and Goenkale and other alleyways. Between them some buildings, although of later eras, have preserved medieval details to this day. This is the case of the doorway (now a window) with an ogee arch of the house at Goenkalea 2, the paired windows of the alleyway Arrese or the magnificent ground floor of the building at number 3 of the already mentioned street Goenkale.

ELGETA

Alfonso XI, King of Castile, founded Elgeta in 1335.

 

Its founding, as with the other new towns of the region, was strategic. The proximity of the border of Bizkaia and its elevated altitude, at 462 m, did not go unnoticed in that era.
With the visit to Elgeta we can verify "in situ" in Debagoiena the regularity and simplicity with which the medieval town centres were laid out. The new town follows one of the typical medieval urban morphologies. It has a rectangular shape and the defences that it had have not been preserved. It was articulated around a long main street and another cross street.

The main street of the old quarter is the street San Roque, at its start it still preserves the prints of one of the two gateways that controlled the access to the Town.

LEINTZ GATZAGA

The visit to Leintz Gatzaga means going back several centuries in time.

 

It was founded in 1331 by the King Alfonso XI, era in which it already stood out for its important salt mine activity. It is one of the few towns of Guipuzcoa that preserves nearly unchanged its secluded and walled appearance and the medieval urban section.
Its layout is configured through a lengthwise main street, the street of San Ignacio, and three parallel cross streets. By walking though them we can see five of the seven gates that originally were open in the wall. The gateway of San Ignacio, emblazoned with the Castile coat of arms, and the gateway of the Rosario, in the street of the same name, offer the most picturesque sites of the town. The others are: Barandapea, Pilar and Santiago. Outside the town centre we find the Sanctuary of Dorleta, patron saint of cyclists. This enclave has been witness to the passing of the pilgrims to Santiago and, although the current building is from the 17th century, the carving of the Virgin in its interior is Gothic.