Oñati,_Iglesia_de_San_Miguel,_altar_mayor

Oñati ( eu, Oñati, es, Oñate) is a town located in the province of

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French de ...

, in the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

of the Basque Country, in the north of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. It has a population of approximately 10,500 and lies in a valley in the center of the Basque country. It lies about south of the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

and is about

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. The name is Basque and translates roughly as "place of many hills", reflecting the landscape of the area. The town is surrounded on three sides by green mountains on the southern side by the Aloña limestone formation.

Main sights

Dating back to the

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

period, Oñati is home to numerous monuments. The

University of Oñati The University of Oñati (in Basque ''Oñatiko Unibertsitatea''; in Spanish ''Universidad de Oñate''), the official name being the University of the Holy Spirit (Sancti Spiritus), was a University founded in 1540 and located in the Basque town of O ...

, the ancient university of the Basque Country, which is in the town's centre, is one of the oldest university buildings on the

Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

. Today it houses the

International Institute for the Sociology of Law The International Institute for the Sociology of Law (IISL) in Oñati is the only international establishment which is entirely devoted to teaching and promoting the sociology of law, socio-legal studies, and law and society research. The IISL is ...

. Other important sites include the monastery and hospice of Bidaurreta and the Church of Saint Michael. Above the city lies the Sanctuary of Arantzazu, which is known for its Pilgrimage Church of Our Lady. A shepherd is said to have discovered a figure of the

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

here in 1469. The original 16th century chapel was replaced in 1950. Oñati is also known for having hosted the Boise State University Campus in the Basque Country program at ETEO. The time was very volatile politically since it saw the death of Franco and the transition to a non dictatorial political system. Currently, the main campus of the Faculty of Business Studies of

Mondragon University Mondragon University ( eu, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, MU) is a non-profit cooperative private university in the Basque Country, officially established and recognised in 1997. It is part of Mondragon Corporation. Its main campus is in Mondragón ...

is in the town. Arantzazu dorrea 2005 04 24

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Oñati is twinned with: *

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...

, Mexico

Notable people

* Lope de Aguirre (1510–1561), conquistador

References

External links