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Nowadays, it is the Town Hall. It constitutes an example of adaptation to the urban structure. It was built by the family of the same name in the l6th c. although the façade reveals an inspiration of a later period.
The façade is made of ashlar, showing a symmetrical arrangement with three openings on each level. It is entered through a spacious door fit into a framework of classical fluted columns that support the base of the central balcony on the first floor. Note the anagram IHS (Iesous, Greek for Jesus Christ) inscribed over the lintel There are two windows at its sides, which are ornated with Baroque motifs on their lintels The rest of the openings are balcones made of wrought iron with the characteristic balusters of the Baroque period. Two ionic pilasters of colossal order enhance the building's monumental character. This building is a defining element in the urban structure, with its main façade overlooking the square This house was probably built between the l5th and l6th centuries and it was restored in 1989. It has a gable roof, and its groundplan is rectangular in shape. Three of its sides are detached or freestanding and the fourth one is a party wall.
On the main façade stands a great gateway in the form of an arch with voussoirs of enormous height surrounded by a moulding (a band raised in relief) covering both the arch and the coat of arms. The entrance is topped by the big coat of arms of the house, in which the inscription "Zarauz before Zarauz" makes reference to the antiquity of the family name. The round-arched spaces on the ground floor corresponded to the administrative rooms and the kitchen. The four balconies of wrought iron on the main floor belonged to the rooms of the lords of the palace whereas the ones en the top floor were used by the servants. The building is crowned by a solid stone cornice topped by ornamental battlements. This architectural whole is completed by a garden that reproduces the spirit of the Renaissance that the building reflects and which meant a drastic change in people's minds as compared with the Gothic period. The dominating ideas in this building are reason and symmetry together with balance and serenity. In short, the liberating spirit that the Renaissance managed to spread pervades the palace. Queen Isabel II spent her summer holidays in this palace in 1865-66 and in 1884. Her choice drew the court noblemen and the bourgeoisie from Madrid to Zarautz. In the years that followed, they built their villas and palaces along the beach line. Until recently, these buildings formed the usual architectural landscape of Zarautz, which nowadays has been transformed into housing developments. TOWER-HOUSE OF THE ZARAUZ FAMILYIt corresponds to the fortress where the lords of Zarauz had their first mansion. These tower-houses were erected in the l4th and l5th centuries, in a time of political and social instability in which the most powerful lords fought each other to gain political and economic control over the province. These circumstances brought about the rise and growth of this type of architecture. Nowadays this building is joined to the church by the parish premises and the houses on the southern side, although it stood detached in origin.
In the l8thc. a top floor, which served as belfry, was added to it and this alteration sacrificed its character of defensive construction for the fulfilment of ecclesiastical functions, At the same time, however, this transformation contributed to its preservation since it gave the building a purpose and another important factor was that it was erected following the same quality and aesthetic standard of the ashlar masonry. In any case, if we pay attention to the colour of the stone, we'll see that both bodies are perfectly recognisable. Currently, there's an interior restoration project that will make it possible to visit the building, with the possibility of reaching the steeple to enjoy the beautiful view that is offered to the visitor from up there. This church has undergone several transformations since it was erected in the lower Middle Ages and its present appearance was definitely established in the l8th century. Certain Gothic elements remain from the primitive church, such as the lancet gateway,without ornamental elements, austere and with numerous archivolts combined with another entrance of classical influence. It is of Latin-cross plan with a single nave and it has an eight-sided sanctuary covered with a half-groined vault,The vaults rest on pilasters that correspond to the buttresses outside. It has a choir and a transept whose supporting arches stand over pilasters of classical style. The appearance of the front is limited by the parish premises, which prevent an overall view of the temple and restrict the appreciation of the architectural whole.Interior: the most mportant elements are the following:
- Santa Maria la Real Altarpiece: This altarpiece was made out of polychrome stucco wood. This is a work conceived as Greco-Roman architecture of the l5th c., belonging to the transitional period of the romanist Renaissance. It is articulated on a stone platform, with four screens and an upper section. It has five vertical paths defined by fluted columns and superimposed orders at the top. Although the church is dedicated to St Mary, the sculptural reliefs do not limit themselves to themes of the Virgin Mary; they also deal wth several scenes of the Passion. The contributon of the Araoz ended with the scene of Christ washing the feet of the Apostles, made by Juan at the end of the l6th century. The rest of the scenes (statues of the Passion, Resurrection, etc.) were made by a team of three sculptors from Asteasu, who, in 1627, undertook to finish the works. Lastly, the altarpece was polychromated in the mid l7th c. The rest of the altarpieces are distributed round the temple and they reflect a markedly Baroque character. The architectural sense prevails over sculpture and paintng. The austerity and solemnity present in other altarpieces are replaced by profuse ornamentation in the l8th c. FRANCISCAN FATHERS CHURCH AND MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST It was founded in 1610 by Juan de Manzisidor, secretary and adviser of Felipe III in Flanders. Occupied by the friars in 1617, it was used as a hospital and warehouse by the French during the War of the Convention. Later, they looted it, taking away a large number of relics brought from Flanders by its founder. In 1830 it was restored and in 1959 the nave of the church was enlarged with the annexation of a wing of the cloister and the courtyard. The present front was also built in that year. The architectural cluster is formed by the Church, Monastery and School. The former is of Latin-cross groundplan with wide and short transept arms. The three naves are groin-vaulted except the centre of the transept, which is covered with a truncated vault. The main nave is wider and longer than the aisles, which are divided by big rectangular pillars of different sizes. The numerous restoration works that have been carried out, make it difficult to classify it in a particular style. Artistically speaking, this is not an outstanding building, but it keeps its own character in accordance with the Franciscan style and spirit. In its interior we can find a central altarpiece as well as lateral ones. The central altarpiece was made by J. Ruiz de Larrinaga in 1828. It consists of two pilasters, a pair of Corinthian capitals and two more that support an entablature with a niche containing the main statue of the Baptist. At its sides there are two statues representng the Franciscan Saints. It is crowned by an allegory of God in the shape of a frontal eye. In the interior, we must mention the existence of a Flemish triptych signed by Antonio Blocklandt in 1577. It is an oil panting on panel, on which Christmas (left panel), Pentecost (central panel) and Easter (right panel) are depicted. LUZEA TOWERBuilt in the l5th c., this tower follows the urban evolution of the town. This is the best example of secular Gothic tower-palace in our province. The isolated rural tower gives way to the urban tower or extended house between party walls. In this way, the comfort and luxury of the palace is added to the security offered by the towers. Over the top entrance door there is a coat of arms partly effaced- that, according to Yrizar, belonged to the lineage of the Zarauz family. Its construction began before the arrival of Enrique IV in the province. It is a tower of solid appearance, with remarkably high quality ashlar masonry. It consists of four levels and there is a lancet arch with voussoirs at the entrance door. The upper part probably had continuous balconies all along the main façade. This is the reason why the lateral walls are extended and stick out at the corresponding height. These stone structures protrude from the faade to reinforce the scaffold. The aesthetic function was not left aside because at the 2nd and 3rd floor levels trefoil-arched windows were cut into these lateral masses. These balconies must have consisted of a framework of wooden planks and beams.
The groups of walls of old ashlar and the ceiling of big oak beams supported by uprights standing far from each other, define a magnificent space liberated only by the alternating windows, some of which have stone benches at their feet. The master’s chambers were situated on the second floor, whereas the top floor was used by the servants. This house was built in the l6th c. by Doctor Juan Ortiz de Zarauz corregidor (ancient Spanish magistrate) of Castro Urdiales. This property later passed on to the hands of the Berroeta Aldamar family, and, at present, it belongs to the Laboral Popular Savings Bank, who restored the whole building in 1982. This rectangular-groundplan building, situated on a corner, defines the historic boundaries of the old Historic Town Centre. It consists of a ground floor and two levels topped by a chequered cornice and upper eaves over a console. It has a hipped roof. It was erected using well-cut ashlar. The main entrance is formed by a pointed arch of great size and between the first and second floor there is a coat of arms of the lineage of the Zarauz family. The shield is divided into four quarters. The first and fourth quarterings, over argent background, feature three nettle bushes over waves. Poplar leaves have been carved in the second and third quarterings. There’s an arrangement of three openings for each level. The ones on the first floor have embrasures and all of them are flat except for the entrance mentioned above and another one on the same front, in the shape of a round arch. SANTA CLARA NUNNERYIt was founded by Maria Ana de Zarauz y Gamboa in 1611. She and her two daughters became enclosed nuns. Until the nunnery was constructed it took from 1618 to 1625, the nuns, who had come from Lerma, stayed with Maria at de Narros Palace. It was the first nunnery of the order of St Clare that was built in Guipuzcoa.
- Main Altarpiece: This altarpiece, which dates back to the 18th c., is made of a stone platform or frieze, a three-section body and the upper structure. In the middle of the frieze there is a monstrance or ostensorium in the shape of a pyx. There are lateral sections between the wreathed columns that flank the statues of Joseph, St. Anne and the Virgin. On the central panel there is a statue of St. Clare. The semicircular upper part rest over a split entabladure acompanied by paintings of angels at the sides and the subjet of the Calvary in the centre with a wooden statue of Christ on the Cross over paintings of St. John and the Virgin. - Lateral Reredoses: Here we are dealing with small altarpieces, very similary conceived, that have an earlier inspiration than the central one (late 18th c.). They are devoted to the figures of the Inmaculate Conception, St. Francis and St. Anthony. They are classical-style altarpieces with Baroque influence. Although they are small in size, they show a cleary dynamic intention due to the location of pilasters and fluted columns on different levels as well as the ornamentation, with floral reliefs, festoon, etc. and the presence of polychromy. The altars are located at the bottom and the tabernacle is the middle. A semicircular pediment flanked by matching columns tops the group.
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