Buen Pastor Cathedral
TIME : 2016/2/22 14:07:38
Buen Pastor Cathedral
The neo-Gothic cathedral of Buen Pastor (the Good Shepherd) was completed in 1897 at a time when San Sebastian was flourishing as an aristocratic seaside resort; it was promoted to cathedral in 1953. Buen Pastor is the largest religious construction in the city, made of sandstone harvested from Monte Igueldo and with a tapering spire that serves as a local landmark.
The vast church was designed by Basque architect Manuel de Echave along elegant, slender Gothic lines; its needle-like spire is the tallest in the Basque country at 246 feet (75 meters). Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida created the ‘Cross of Peace’ that adorns the main façade.
Based on the Latin cross, the cathedral has three naves and the interior is awash with light flooding in through the stained-glass windows by Juan Bautista Lázaro; vast chandeliers hang down from the vaulted roof and rose windows illuminate both ends of the transept. The organ was installed in 1954 and has more than 9,000 pipes, making it one of the largest in Europe. Practical Info
The cathedral is on Plaza del Buen Pastor, and it is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
