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Art and faith · Urduliz
SAINT MARY OF THE ASSUMPTION
Dear visitor, welcome to the church of Saint Mary. This temple was built thanks to the ancient veneration of the Mother of God of all the Basque people, and Urduliz in particular. In Renaissance style, the temple was erected at the end of the 18th century on the remains of the previous one. They took advantage of its magnificent ashlar stone walls. It is a one-nave building with a rectangular plan and three whitewashed vaults. As you have been able to see before entering the temple, at its western end stands the robust tower, topped by a semicircular cover erected in 1673.
Now we invite you to begin your visit through the central corridor until you reach the head. On the side walls are the reliefs of the fourteen stations of the VIA CRUCIS. On many occasions it seems that the accompaniment of Jesus in his Passion and Death ends in the tomb, forgetting that the Cross is not a defeat, but the prelude to the definitive triumph over death that will come with his Resurrection. VIA LUCIS. Accompanying his son in his redemptive Passion, is the image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, commonly known as the Virgin of Fatima.
We arrived at the head of the temple. In its apse is the main altarpiece. At its sides, two altarpieces of the same style, in the Rococo style, dating from around 1775, make up an incomparable ensemble of great beauty and harmony.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its saviour.”
John 3, 17
To the left is the altarpiece of Our Lady of Rosary, whose effigy of fine features and great serenity presides over the ensemble. Mary appears as a young mother who introduces us to her Son and advances her right arm bringing her rosary closer. The smaller carvings, of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Virgin and therefore grandparents of Jesus, accompany her. Crowning the ensemble is the image of Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, accompanied by the Child Jesus.
The carving of Saint Anthony the Great occupies the central niche of the right altarpiece. On one side, Saint Anthony of Padua, one of the few saints who is represented with the Child Jesus in his arms. On the other side, Saint Isidore the Labourer, patron saint of farmers. The effigy of the Archangel Saint Michael with the devil under his feet crowns the ensemble.
“I am the Lord's servant. May it happen to me as you have said.”
Luke 1, 38
It is time to contemplate the main altarpiece. To do it in detail, we invite you to sit on the front benches or, if you prefer, on the stairs that give access to the altar. The main altarpiece, a work attributed to the sculptor Pedro de Alloytiz, is in the classicist Baroque style and was erected in 1666. It has a bench, three bodies and an attic topped by a beautiful Calvary. Let’s start at the bottom. We can see the reliefs of the «Nativity of the Virgin» and «The Visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Saint Elizabeth».
On the next level, from left to right, between sumptuous Solomonic columns, are the carvings of Saint Peter and Saint John the Baptist. On them, we see the reliefs of the «Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple» and «The Embrace of Saint Anne and Saint Joaquin before the Golden Gate of Jerusalem». This last scene is included in the apocryphal gospel of Pseudo Mateo. The story was suppressed at the Council of Trent (1545/63), but it survived in popular devotion. A good example of this is his appearance one hundred years later in this altarpiece. In the centre of the altarpiece is the Assumption, a dedication to which the temple is consecrated. It represents the moment in which the Virgin Mary, at the end of her life, is elevated to Heaven in body and soul, while six angels accompany her in her transit.
At the top are the images of two Franciscan saints; its founder, Saint Francis of Assisi, holding the cross and Saint Anthony of Padua. Meanwhile, in the central part we can see the high relief of the «Coronation of Mary»; the Virgin Mary is crowned by the Holy Trinity as Queen of the Universe. In the attic and crowning this magnificent altarpiece we discover a Calvary with its usual iconographic composition; Jesus Christ on the cross, accompanied by his mother, the Virgin Mary, and his beloved disciple, Saint John the Evangelist. The two angels that finish off the set are later, included in the altarpiece in 1836.
“Then a great and mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a woman, whose dress was the sun and who had the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.”
Revelation 12, 1
At the left of the altarpiece, the greatest treasure that we can find in this temple seems to go unnoticed, the Eucharistic Presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle. The living Christ has saved and redeemed us; he has freely given us eternal life and is always by our side.
We are finishing our visit to the temple where we have combined art and faith. We wish that your visit was pleasant. Before leaving the temple to continue your journey, we invite you to have a moment of recollection and prayer, to sit in silence before the welcoming presence of Our Mother the Virgin Mary, meditating on her life of dedication and gratitude. Or simply, you can praise and give glory to the Lord in front of the Tabernacle. For this, we put at your disposal some prayers that can be useful and various links to learn more about the life of the Saints in the altarpieces.
“Our salvation is a gift of the blood of Christ. Everything is a free gift from God and his love for us”
HERMITAGE
In our town there is also the hermitage of Saint Marina, in the rocks with the same name. It is a building from the end of the 15th century, with a single nave with an irregular plan, which takes advantage of one of its walls from the same rock on which it is located, cut and carved. The festivity is celebrated on July 21 and the day before a lively pilgrimage is held in the surroundings of the hermitage in which the residents of Urduliz and Sopela meet.
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.
TO THE ASSUMPTION
Mary, Queen assumed into heaven, I rejoice that after years of heroic martyrdom on earth, you have at last been taken to the throne prepared for you in heaven by the Holy Trinity.
Lift my heart with you in the glory of your Assumption above the dreadful touch of sin and impurity. Teach me how small earth becomes when viewed from heaven. Make me realize that death is the triumphant gate through which I shall pass to your Son, and that someday my body shall rejoin my soul in the unending bliss of heaven.
From this earth, over which I tread as a pilgrim, I look to you for help. I ask for this favor: (Mention your request).
When my hour of death has come, lead me safely to the presence of Jesus to enjoy the vision of my God for all eternity together with you.
VIRTUAL VISIT
MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION
“For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is LOVE”
(1 Cor. 13, 13)