Church of San Antón
| Church of San Antón | |
|---|---|
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Province | Biscay |
| Country | Spain |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 15th century |
| Completed | 1510 |
The Church of San Antón is a Catholic temple located in the Old Town neighbourhood of Bilbao, Spain. It is dedicated to Anthony the Great, known as San Antón in Spanish. It is featured, along with the San Antón Bridge, in the city's coat of arms. The estuary of Bilbao flows next to it.
The Gothic style is an artistic style of the 15th and 16th centuries. The great majority of those centuries' buildings have deteriorated with the passing of time and have been reconstructed. Consequently, they do not support the same Gothic essence anymore. Nevertheless, in buildings such as Saint Anthony's church, even though it has been reconstructed, it is possible to observe some Gothic features as the rib vaults and the pointed arches.
The church was built at the end of the 15th century on a plot where there had been a years a warehouse for three hundred years. It is considered an asset of cultural interest since 17 July 1984, in the category "National Historic-Artistic Monument".
In 1300 Diego López de Haro gave the municipal charter. The river and the plot were incorporated to the new village called Bilbao. Some claim that in 1334 Alfonso XI of Castile ordered to build a fortress and wall that were used like a dike against the flood. A wall was discovered in 2002 by an archaeological excavation but the claim is still inconclusive.
Some time later this two buildings were replaced by one church dedicated to Saint Anton Abbot. This church was consecrated in 1433. In that moment the church only has one nave with a rectangular floor and a vaulted roof. Nowadays we can see the old foundations of that church near the old wall of Bilbao.
In 1478 they start a new project to increase the church, because it was very small and the congregation of faithful people was increasing. This enlargement, in Gothic style, was finished in the first part of the 16th century.
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