San Telmo: this is what the largest center for the interpretation of Basque society is like
San Telmo: this is what the largest center for the interpretation of Basque society is like
The San Telmo Museum, the oldest museum of the Basque Country, is located in the Old Quarter of San Sebastián, in one of the few buildings that survived the fire that devastated the city in 1813. Located in a sixteenth-century Dominican convent, the museum was restored and extended with contemporary flair in 2011 by the Nieto Sobejano architectural firm. Thanks to this remodel, the institution was reborn by harmoniously combining the older aspects (where the church and cloister are noteworthy) with the new construction; a reflection of what the museum aims to be – an instrument to understand the present and build the future from knowledge of the past.
Inaugurated in 1902, the Museum is the largest center dedicated to the interpretation of Basque Society; it is the place to learn about Basque history, culture, and ways of life through the region’s valuable heritage and a wealth of audiovisual and interactive resources that will make your visit a true experience to discover and enjoy.
The main theme of the museum’s permanent exhibition is the evolution of the individual in society – it presents the milestones, behaviors, and ways of thinking and living which, over time, have helped to shape Basque society, and it offers keys to its contemporary interpretation, and delves deeper thereinto from its origins until today.
The museum also has an art collection with works from the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, which are displayed chronologically. In this way, not only do visitors delve into the history of art by prominent figures such as Tintoretto, Ribera, Rubens, Beruete, Fortuny, Madrazo, and Miró, but they are also able to understand the evolution of the different artistic styles over time. The Basque art section also stands out, with paintings and sculptures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by Zamacois, Lecuona, Oteiza, Chillida, Nagel, and Ameztoi, among others.
The vast inventory of pieces collected, the excellent approach to their permanent exhibition, and the numerous activities and temporary exhibitions organized throughout the year all make this one of the essential museums for tourists who wish to discover Basque culture in depth, as well as for locals who find in the museum a special place for the dissemination of knowledge and the creation of thought.
San Telmo Museum
Plaza Zuloaga 1, San Sebastián.
Tel.: +34 943 481 580
