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=The Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Estibaliz=

The Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Estibaliz is a sanctuary located in the town of Argandoña, from the town hall of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava. It is surrounded with green forests and it has the view of the entire province as it is located in a small hill 9km away from the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Here stands the patroness of Álava.

History
The Sanctuary was built in the XI century and is a true jewel or Romanesque art. In 1138 was lend to the monks berardos de Nájera who preserve it until 1431 when they sold it to don Fernán Pérez de Ayala, son of the famous king Enrique de Castilla’s chancellor, don Perdro López de Ayala. The Sanctuary was donated to Santiago’s hospital in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. In 1542, this man’s inheritor ordered the restoration of the Sanctuary. The new parts of the Sanctuary, most of them restored, were built between the XII and the XIII centuries.

Nowadays
Even thought it has been damaged over time and during the civil wars what it still exists shows its archaeological value. Some of its details are: the simple floor crowned with three apses, the columns decorated with curious embellished capitals, the font and the front stone of Christ’s altar.

The Sanctuary
In its south part there is the Porta Speciossa which has a different stile and details. Home of two archivolts and targeted overall, decorated richly with motifs and interlacing that seems to arise from the jaws of a little lion from whom comes the exterior archivolt of the east. In top we can see a mullioned window belfry. The headboard shows in its cylinder centre two semi columns topped in two capitals that remain much under the current ledge, indicating with this its primitive height. Only the south apse has a small window decorated with an archivolt and under the central eaves are some decorated corbels and even a capital decorated with a double tail mermaid.

The cover decoration is pointillist and lush. We can see interlacing and geometric decorative motifs in columns. The capitals that crown the columns have also very curious details as some scrollwork or some little heads. The angel and the Virgin are located on top of a little column in the front door. Both the characters seem to be walking transmitting the lightness of the moment.