The parish church in San Sebastian

The strategic location in the Bay of Biscay transformed in the Middle Ages into a significant trading center with a tumultuous war history, which stabilized at the end of the 19th century when the city became a sought-after summer residence for the aristocracy. During the 20th century, tourist interest turned to the Mediterranean, and the Basque seaside resort today nostalgically remembers the bygone era when guests promenaded along wide boulevards between hotels and casinos. Nevertheless, San Sebastián can now boast a growing population as one of the few Spanish cities. Therefore, a series of ambitious development projects are emerging in the southern part of the city between the meandering Urumea River. Multifunctional housing developments are complemented by commercial spaces, as well as university and cultural buildings, sports facilities, and parks. The most distinctive building in the new neighborhood of Amara is undoubtedly the parish church Iglesia de Iesu, designed by local native Rafael Moneo, who realized the Urumea apartment building (1968-72) here after leaving the Saénz de Oiza office and subsequently built the Kursaal (1990-99), which was the first to receive the prestigious Mies van der Rohe award. Moneo's latest addition, which serves the newly established Riberas Loiola community, seeks to mitigate the impact of the anonymous block development in the heart of the scorching Spanish city. The white compact mass allows visitors to pause before entering the church in a paradise garden. The only criticism can be directed at the placement of a supermarket in the basement, which was justified by ensuring a regular rental income and also attracting a larger number of people from the neighborhood. The church is located in the northwest part of the park, whose organic design comes from the Basque firm Lur Paisajistak.
In his text, Moneo describes the shift from the medieval concept of the church as a 'Divine House' to an increasingly strong emphasis on the individual and the private sphere, a trend that has accelerated in recent decades. According to him, architects when tasked with building a church or temple cannot rely on a vision, but instead must risk offering their own version of sacred space. In his design, Moneo drew inspiration from the local priest Jesus Maria Zabaleta. He and his clergy wanted a church that would provide believers with a space where they could express their pious feelings without the architect's intention 'interfering' with them. The cleaner the forms and the less traditional iconography, the better, and Moneo gladly fulfilled this wish. The mass of the church appears somewhat mysterious from the outside.
The white complex rises from a massive stone base. The thirty-meter tall white concrete walls of the church rotate ten degrees from the parish towards the park. The white cement plaster is intended to better protect the building from emissions. Access to the complex is through wrought-iron gates made of solid oak. Rooms for meetings, parish offices, and apartments on the upper floor are directed towards the paradise courtyard. The reduced access to the church, on the other hand, enhances the impressiveness and effect of the main space based on an irregular Greek cross. The corners house the sacristy and chapels. The main cross-shaped space is flooded with natural light from upper skylights, which simultaneously separate the central area from the corners in the ceiling. The irregularity of the floor plan gives each of the chapels its specificity: one rises 23 meters above the low sacristy, another rises 7, 11, and 27 meters above the basalt floor. In designing the organ, Moneo was inspired by the engravings of the world-renowned sculptor Eduardo Chillida, who spent most of his life in San Sebastián. Additionally, the influence of another Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza can be traced in the interior design, as well as contemporary artists Javier Alkain, Prudencio Irazabal, and José Ramón Anda in the interior furnishings.
After the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, this is only the second church designed by Rafael Moneo.