Pyrenees Guide

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  Onati, Basque Country

Onati is the most aristocratic and monumental town in Gipuzkoa for the artistic grandeur and architectural wealth of its buildings. The town is a real jewel set at foot of Mount Alona (1298 m) in the foothills of Aizkorri Massif. Its many buildings include the 16th century Parish Church of San Miguel with its Flamboyant Gothic cloister, Plateresque altarpiece and mausoleum by Rodrigo Mercado de Zuazola, founder of the first university. The "Sancti Spiritu" University (1540) is one of the most importan Renaissance buildings in the Basque Country with a very interesting doorway, chapel and cloister. It was the first university centre and as early as the 18th century -19th centuries already had various faculties such as Philosophy, Theology, Economic Sciences and Medicine.