Aristocrazies
Somewhat overshadowed by her coastal big sisters Bilbao and Donostia San Sebastián, inlander Miranda de Ebro is the least known of the Spanish cities of Basque Country. Although with a population of just under 40,000 – on a par with Drogheda in County Louth or Westport in Connecticut – she is at the lower end of urban scale.
The spirit of the place gradually reveals herself on the approach from the railway station to the River Ebro. There are two churches contrasting with one another close to the river. The Church of St Nicolás de Bari is strikingly contemporary with its bright brownish red brick and clean lines highlighted by stone trimmings: the roundness of a giant rosette and blind arches is a counterpoint to the squareness of the belltower. Circa 2005 perhaps?
Only six decades out. The church was inaugurated in 1945 and the belltower was completed a decade later. A Romanesque church on the site was destroyed by fire in 1936. The architects were Ramón Aníbal Álvarez and Pablo Cantó Iniesta who belonged to the Group of Spanish Artists and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture.
Contemporary indeed: from the rationalised exterior to the transept free basilica plan, the Church of St Nicolás de Bari resonates with harmonious modern sensibility. The architects’ vision was brought to fruition by builders Sixto Erquiaga and the Segura-Jaúregui brothers. A banner hanging on the northeast facing Calle San Augustin façade states “Making a path; creating community”.
The river bankside Church of the Holy Spirit is 700 metres to the west of the Church of St Nicolás de Bari as the Middle Spotted Woodpecker flies. This charming Romanesque with a Gothic arched entrance door stone building is the oldest place of worship in the city. Badly damaged in 1936 in the Spanish Civil War, the church was restored 36 years later. A Latin cross floorplan contains a single nave.
Nestling amidst the rickety charm of the left bank Old Town is the Church of Santa Maria. It was built of salvaged stone in the 16th century Renaissance style. Even the pepper pot shaped bell tower is faced in stone. The layout is formed of three naves of equal length. The church faces tiny Plaza de Santa Maria and sides onto the four metre wide Calle la Cruz and Calle de las Escuelas.
Apolo Theatre backs onto Plaza de Santa Maria. The mustard coloured rendered building was built to the design of Fermín Álamo in 1921. A vertical extension by architect Miguel Verdú Belmonte, completed in 2015, contrasts with the original neoclassical architecture in colour (white) and style (minimalist). Another recent addition to the cityscape is the M Monument designed by local artist José Luis Dufourg Duaso. The 2010 giant 13th letter of the alphabet stands on the Calle del Ferrocarril roundabout. It’s painted in the city’s coat of arm colours: blue, yellow and red.
Perched on Picota Hill on the left bank above the River Ebro, the crumbling Castle of Miranda de Ebro is strategically located in this border region. It was built in medieval times and damaged in the 19th century Carlist Wars. The origins of the city are even older, likely dating from the Roman era. Miranda de Ebro has edge. Miranda de Ebro has grit. Miranda de Ebro has character. And she has the best oriel turret winter gardens imaginable.
