Zeraingo Udala - Ayuntamiento de Zerain
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS > Our Lady of the Assumption Church
Our Lady of the Assumption Church, the town's principal building, dates back to the first half of the 15th century.
It contains a number of interesting features, although the most important is a 12th century Romanesque copper crucifix, decorated with precious stones.
The crucifix is one of only two such pieces in Gipuzkoa, the other being housed in the church of the neighbouring town of Segura.
Visitors can also admire a beautiful 17th century baptismal font, a stone construction adorned with a variety of different images, including the Zerain coat of arms, the sun, a lion, a bunch of grapes and the moon, among others.
Other features which contribute to the church's overall beauty are the three holy water pillars, the choir stalls, the pulpit, the high altar and two side altars, the tombs, the choir arch and the vaulted ceiling.
Construction and renovation
The church's oldest document is a Record of Baptisms dating from 1556, although a gothic inscription on the tomb of Juan García de Cerain (located in the church) reads as follows: 'This tomb was built by Juan García de Cerain in 1457'.
Nevertheless, the building that we see today is the result of an extensive renovation project carried out during the 18th century. In 1709, in response to a complaint by Doña María de Cerain y Zarauz regarding the dilapidated state of the church, the Archbishop of Pamplona agreed to initiate restoration work. The project followed the plans drawn up by the architect Juan de Carrera, but later underwent numerous modifications as the result of the intervention of the townsfolk themselves. For example, the wood from the original church was replaced by stone from Zerain's Oa quarry.
After completing the work on the exterior, the townsfolk focused their attention on the interior, where, after a number of setbacks, the three baroque altarpieces that we can see today were finally built according to the teachings of Diego Martinez de Arze.
On the tombs
In addition to the aforementioned 15th century tomb of Juan Garcia de Cerain, the building also contains other tombs belonging to different inhabitants of the town, since each family had their own area at the back of the church. These family vaults were used right up until the 18th century, and visitors today can still see the numbers that indicate their location.