WHAT TO SEE
Fidel Iturria – Cemetery tourism in Getxo
Photograph on loan from Getxoko Liburutegiak – Getxo Municipal Libraries
The local council architect Fidel Iturria is the one responsible for a large part of the spatial layout of the cemetery of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, as well as for the cemetery’s finest chapel, which belongs to the Basagoiti Arteta family.
Enjoy the art, the peace and the beauty that emanate from this cemetery that contains some of the province’s finest examples of funerary art. As you stroll around, you are likely to encounter people visiting the graves of their dear departed relatives.
Its spectacular location on the cliffs, one of a group of "coastal cemeteries" that includes others such as those in Bermeo and Lekeitio … Spoiler: if you are here when dusk falls, you will probably have a heavenly experience.
When dusk falls, you will probably have a heavenly experience... This route will show you how the cemetery was designed; you will learn about the forbears of some of Getxo’s most influential families, and you will be enveloped by that aura of spirituality that surrounds burial sites .
Try becoming a “tombstone tourist”, a trend that is gaining in popularity in places such as Bilbao, Paris, Vienna, Rome, Barcelona and Prague!
FIDEL ITURRIA (1860-1922)
During his childhood in his hometown of Tolosa (Gipuzkoa), Fidel Iturria Bizcarrondo showed great interest in building as he watched his father working as a bricklayer. His wish to put his ideas onto paper with pencil, protractor and ruler came true in 1887 when he graduated from the College of Architecture in Madrid.
Fidel was part of that golden age of architecture as a member of the so-called 'Primera Generación del Ensanche' [first generation of the city expansion area], a select group of architects that also included Basterra, Acebal, Ibarreche, Picaza, Achúcarro, Goiri, Edesio de Garamendi, Achúcarro, Smith, Rucabado, Camiña...who, in turn, would pursue their careers at the same time as another famous architect: Antonio Gaudí Cornet.
Although he was born in Gipuzkoa, he spent most of his career working as a parish architect in Deusto, a neighbourhood of Bilbao. His most outstanding project, nonetheless, was the Philharmonic Society building in the city centre itself (1904).
Receiving an annual stipend of 3,000 pesetas (around €18), in 1901 he was appointed municipal architect in Getxo, although he was already working there on a temporary basis. As from 1900, he headed the project for the cemetery of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, which would eventually be completed in the spring of 1908. Furthermore, he designed two of the cemetery’s most impressive chapels: one belonging to the Basagoiti Arteta family and the other to Serapia Múgica.
In 1917, Fidel Iturria resigned from his position as municipal architect due to ill health, being replaced by J. Ignacio Smith Ibarra. He passed away in 1922, leaving his mark on Getxo and, in particular, on this mystical place that we are now visiting with him as our guide.
1. Cemetery of Nuestra Señora del Carmen (1908).
The cemetery was built following the area’s geographical expansion in the late 19th century. The different burial arrangements are distributed along a main avenue that allegorically links birth (the entrance) to death (the chapel) with two side avenues.
2. Galdiz And Hormaechea family chapel (1909).
Commissioned by Bernardino Hormaechea, this large funerary chapel was designed by Mario Camiña. The facades have Egyptian features, and the polychrome tiling from Valencia is the only one of its kind in the cemetery.
3. De La Sota family burial crypt (1919).
Buried beneath this gravel surface are the mortal remains of a family of considerable social and political influence, with Its most famous member being Ramón de la Sota (founder of the shipping company “Sota Aznar”)..
4. Sangroniz family chapel (1912).
The Sangroniz family hails from the feudal estate, or Señorío, of the Torre de Sangroniz, in Sondika. The mausoleum consists of a rectangular-shaped Neogothic temple with three naves, and contains the tomb of a little girl.
5. Earle family mausoleum (1927).
It corresponds to Edward Kenneth Lutton (E.K.L), a leading entrepreneur in the metal industry. The whole group is the work of the architect Ángel Líbano, and the sculptures are by Cossio-Molina.
6. Serapia Mujica chapel (1917).
Serapia Mujica Iturriaga married José Ramón Arecheta Barrenechea, an empresario and mayor of Getxo. Designed by Fidel Iturria, inside the crypt there is a marble sculpture of Pity
7. Aldecoa Arias family mausoleum (1919).
The mausoleum is remarkable for its Roman temple consisting of a semi-circular pedestal that supports a colonnade consisting of five columns; the flowers symbolise eternal life.
8. Inchaurtieta family mausoleum (circa 1908).
Made of marble, it is the figure of an angel with wings outspread standing on a quadrangular pedestal that is decorated on each side with little curved pediments with laurel wreaths and small columns on the corners.
9. Emilio Basagoiti family mausoleum (1918).
This is a heart-wrenching example of funerary art, the most important one by the sculptor Miguel García Salazar, and one of most remarkable groups of funerary sculptures in the Basque Country.
10. Cemetery chapel (1904).
Located at the end of the main avenue (cardo), It has a rectangular layout and a Neogothic design. It is preceded by a stairway, and the main façade plays on the chromatic juxtaposition of grey limestone and golden sandstone.
11. Astorqui Zavala family chapel (1923).
The architect Manuel Camarón was commissioned by Carolina Mandaluniz, Zavala’s widow. It has a square layout and the roof is a truncated pyramid-shaped dome surmounted by the statue of an angel
12. Salvadora Cortina mausoleum (1914)
A staged mausoleum consisting of a grotto that contains a gravestone. The entrance is guarded by an angel, to whom the three Marys are facing; it was designed by Miguel García de Salazar.
13. Caveau famille Diliz (1914).
Also designed by Miguel García Salazar, it portrays a woman supplicating, situated in the prow of a boat that has run onto the rocks, clasping a cross, facing the sea, and looking to heaven.
14. García de Salazar family mausoleum (1908)
Based on a design by the architect Manuel Camarón, Miguel García de Salazar sculpted his own mausoleum. It consists of a plinth upon which there are three columns with an attic base and fluted shafts, truncated at different heights.
15. Valle family mausoleum (1918)
Based on a design by the architect Manuel Camarón, Miguel García de Salazar sculpted his own mausoleum. It consists of a plinth upon which there are three columns with an attic base and fluted shafts, truncated at different heights.
16. Venancio Echevarria mausoleum (1943)
Venancio Echevarria was chairman of the board of Banco Vizcaya and councillor and deputy mayor of Getxo. The mausoleum’s interest lies in a limestone relief by the sculptor Quintín de Torre.
17. Echevarrieta family crypt (1925)
With the help of the sculptor Francisco Durrio and the architect Ricardo Bastida, Horacio Echevarrieta (family with a political and business tradition) oversaw its design. The crypt contains a stunning Roman mosaic.
18. Basagoiti Arteta family chapel (1909)
Designed by Fidel Iturria, it holds the remains of a dynasty of entrepreneurs and politicians that continues to this day. The chapel is an outstanding example of Neogothic funerary architecture in the Basque Country
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