Basilicas in Spain—Burgos

Basilica of Our Lady of the Miracles, Agreda, Castilla y Leon

Has been considered a minor basilica for centuries.

The stone church was built between 1554 and 1624 using Gothic and Renaissance styles.  The main altar is Baroque.

The first picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral of St. James the Apostle, Bilbao, Pais Vasco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius VII in 1819.

The church is the cathedral for the Diocese of Bilbao.  Construction began on the church in 1397 to replace an earlier church.  Work continued until the early 16th Century and is primarily Gothic with some Renaissance elements.  The church has 15 chapels.  It was flooded in 1983 but has been restored. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Old Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Pais Vasco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Gregory XVI in 1844.

The Gothic Basilica was the original cathedral for the Diocese of Vitoria (established in 1861) but was replaced in the 20th Century by a new cathedral.  Construction of the Basilica began in the early 13th Century and continued throughout the centuries.  It closed in 1994 for major renovations but appears to be open now.  Ken Follett, the British novelist, was inspired by this church in writing his book, “World Without End.”

Pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, Lekeitio, Pais Vasco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.

The church was built in the late 15th Century in a Basque Gothic style, with Baroque elements (specifically the bell tower).  Its main altarpiece is especially noteworthy.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady, Bilbao, Pais Vasco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius X in 1908.

The church was constructed between 1511 and 1621 mostly using the Gothic style.  It houses an image of Our Lady that predates the church.  The church was damaged by Napoleon’s army in 1808 (who murdered the parish’s priest) and during three civil wars in the 19th Century.

Pictures are from Flickr, Pinterest, and Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Aranzazu, Onati, Pais Vasco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1921.

The Basilica houses an image of Our Blessed Mother who is said to have appeared in 1468 amidst some thorny bushes (aranzazu).  A number of churches were built here but were destroyed by war or fire.  The first Basilica was built between 1844 and 1846.  The current Basilica was built on top of the first Basilica, a portion of which became a crypt.  The current modern Basilica was built between 1950 and 1955.  The Franciscans have been in charge of the church since 1514.   

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary of Portugalete, Portugalete, Pais Vasco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1951.

The Gothic-Renaissance Basilica was built between 1480 and 1580 to replace an earlier church.  The church was destroyed during an 1873 civil war and was rebuilt in the late 1800s.

The first picture is from a local source and the rest are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Elorrio, Pais Vasco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1966.

The Gothic/Renaissance church was built between 1464 and 1506.  The Baroque tower was added in 1672.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Benedictine Monastery and Basilica of Santo Domingo de Silos, Santo Domingo de Silos, Castilla y Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

The Basilica is the church for a 7th Century Benedictine abbey.  The current Romanesque church was built in the 18th Century.  The cloister dates to the 11th Century.  The library has 190,000 books.

Pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary, Durango, Pais Vasco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

The church was originally built in the 15th Century in a Gothic style, but by the time it was completed in the 16th Century, Baroque elements had been added.  The main altarpiece was built from 1578 to 1590 in a Romanist Renaissance style.  The church was badly damaged during the Spanish Civil War in 1937 but was restored.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilicas in Spain—Santiago de Compostela and Valladolid

Santiago de Compostela 

I blogged about the following basilica on January 3, 2020.

• Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of St. James (the Greater), Santiago de Compostela, Galicia.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Carmel, Lugo, Galicia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1896.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Lugo.  The Diocese was created in the 2nd Century so there were earlier cathedrals.  This church was built between 1129 and 1273 and uses several different architectural styles, although it is predominantly Romanesque.

The first picture is from a local source and the rest are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary Major, Pontevedra, Galicia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

The Basilica was built in the 16th Century using Gothic and Renaissance styles.  The local seafarer’s guild helped finance the church.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, Mondonedo, Galicia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

The Basilica is the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Mondonedo-Ferrol.  Monks established a monastery on the Bay of Biscay in the 800s but moved inland due to fear of raids by Vikings or Normans.  A new diocese was created in 866 and this church was built between 1219 and 1243 to be its cathedral.  It is mostly Romanesque but has Gothic and Baroque elements.  The altar is rococo.

The first picture is from Pinterest and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Martin, Foz, Galicia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.

The Romanesque church was built between the 9th and 12th Centuries.  It is considered to be the oldest existing cathedral in Spain as it was once the see of a diocese.  It was founded by a group of Christians from what is now England who were escaping the Anglo-Saxon invasion of their homeland.  The location of the church changed in the 9th Century due to invasions by Muslims and later Vikings.

The first picture is from Flickr and the others are from Wikipedia.

Co-Cathedral and Basilica of St. Mary, Vigo, Galicia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020.

The Basilica is the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Tui-Vigo.  It was constructed between 1816 and 1834 to replace a Gothic church destroyed in an explosion.  This church is neo-classical with Baroque towers.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Valladolid

Old Cathedral and Basilica of St. Mary, Salamanca, Castilla y Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius IX in 1854.

This church was once the cathedral for the Diocese of Salamanca.  It was built between the early 12th Century and the late 14th Century using Romanesque and Gothic styles.  It was replaced as the cathedral in the early 18th Century.  Examinations for the University of Salamanca were once held in this church. One of the chapels has a working pipe organ that dates to the 14th Century making it one of the oldest in the world.

The first two pictures are from Flickr and the rest from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Teresa of Jesus, Alba de Tormes, Castilla y Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1870.

Construction of this church began in 1898 to house the remains of St. Teresa of Avila.  The neo-Gothic building was intended to be as large as 30,000 square meters, but work stopped in 2010 due to financial shortages.  About 10,000 square meters were completed at that time.  [I can’t explain why the church was designated a basilica in 1870 when construction did not begin until 1898.]

The first picture is from TripAdvisor and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica and National Shrine of the Great Promise, Valladolid, Castilla y Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

The Baroque church was part of a Jesuit college built in the first decade of the 17th Century.  In 1733, a student heard Our Blessed Mother say to him "I will reign in Spain and with more veneration than in other places."  In 1933, the church was rededicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus under the current title.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Teresa of Jesus, Avila, Castilla y Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2022.

This Baroque church was built in the early 17th Century by the Discalced Carmelites.  It is located on what is thought to be the location of the birthplace of St. Teresa.  It has undergone several restorations.

Pictures are from a local source and Wikipedia.