Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Coro (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Chorus), San Sebastian (must see)
The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Chorus truly announces itself. Raised between 1743 and 1774 on the bones of a Romanesque temple, it was meant to do more than shelter the faithful. By the 18th century San Sebasti谩n was flexing its muscles as both a fortified port and trading hub, and this church doubled as a spiritual statement and a civic boast.
Its fa莽ade belongs to the exuberant world of late Spanish Baroque, or 鈥淐hurrigueresque鈥� if you want the mouthful. Think of it as stonework turned stagecraft: twisted columns, curling scrolls, carved saints, and, center stage, the Virgin Mary herself, presiding like a leading actor. The coat of arms of San Sebasti谩n stamps the entrance, while twin spires and a clock tower keep the whole composition from slipping into pure theater.
Step inside and the drama changes tone. The plan is rectangular, the geometry clean, but the space still overwhelms with scale. Six octagonal columns rise like stone sentinels to ribbed vaults that sweep into an 89-foot dome. Side chapels, sacristies, and alcoves carry their own treasures, from statues to devotional paintings, layering centuries of local patronage and belief.
The star of the interior, though, is the gilded main altarpiece, shimmering with 18th-century bravado. At its heart is the Virgin of the Choir, a small dark wooden carving said to have spared the basilica during the catastrophic fire of 1813. Even now she presides over mass before retreating to her niche, a cycle that ties ritual to legend.
Nowadays, the basilica is more than a grand Baroque flourish in the Old Town. It is a monument where faith, artistry, and civic pride have been negotiating space for centuries-an architectural conversation still very much alive beneath the shadow of Mount Urgull.
Its fa莽ade belongs to the exuberant world of late Spanish Baroque, or 鈥淐hurrigueresque鈥� if you want the mouthful. Think of it as stonework turned stagecraft: twisted columns, curling scrolls, carved saints, and, center stage, the Virgin Mary herself, presiding like a leading actor. The coat of arms of San Sebasti谩n stamps the entrance, while twin spires and a clock tower keep the whole composition from slipping into pure theater.
Step inside and the drama changes tone. The plan is rectangular, the geometry clean, but the space still overwhelms with scale. Six octagonal columns rise like stone sentinels to ribbed vaults that sweep into an 89-foot dome. Side chapels, sacristies, and alcoves carry their own treasures, from statues to devotional paintings, layering centuries of local patronage and belief.
The star of the interior, though, is the gilded main altarpiece, shimmering with 18th-century bravado. At its heart is the Virgin of the Choir, a small dark wooden carving said to have spared the basilica during the catastrophic fire of 1813. Even now she presides over mass before retreating to her niche, a cycle that ties ritual to legend.
Nowadays, the basilica is more than a grand Baroque flourish in the Old Town. It is a monument where faith, artistry, and civic pride have been negotiating space for centuries-an architectural conversation still very much alive beneath the shadow of Mount Urgull.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in San Sebastian. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Coro (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Chorus) on Map
Sight Name: Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Coro (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Chorus)
Sight Location: San Sebastian, Spain (See walking tours in San Sebastian)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: San Sebastian, Spain (See walking tours in San Sebastian)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in San Sebastian, Spain
Create Your Own Walk in San Sebastian
Creating your own self-guided walk in San Sebastian is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Mount Urgull Walking Tour
Mount Urgull is a promontory stretching out at the eastern end of La Concha Bay, surrounded by water on all sides, except the one linking it to the Old Town of San Sebastian. Historically, this mount, rising 123 meters above sea level, served as a strategic defense point for the city, attesting to which now are the remnants of old fortifications with cannons still in place.
From its elevated... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
From its elevated... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
San Sebastian Introduction Walking Tour
After watching bulls run around in Pamplona, Ernest Hemingway took a relaxing trip up north. He enjoyed the calmness of the shoreline so much that he vividly described it in his novel The Sun Also Rises. The city that appealed to Hemingway was San Sebasti谩n-known in Basque as Donostia.
The city takes its name from Saint Sebastian, the early Christian martyr whose cult spread widely through... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
The city takes its name from Saint Sebastian, the early Christian martyr whose cult spread widely through... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles