Santiago Cathedral
This point of interest is available as audio on the tour: Visit Bilbao, A Basque City Reborn
You’re now standing in front of the oldest monument in the city. Santiago Cathedral dates back to the 1300s, when Bilbao was still just a small fishing village.
At the time, the city had no grand religious buildings, just a modest church, which was destroyed in a fire in 1374. But the story doesn’t end there. The cathedral we see today took shape thanks to an initiative launched by French Pope Gregory XI, followed by more than a century of construction.
Most of the building is Gothic in style, though the tower and main façade were added later, in the 19th century, reflecting a Neo-Gothic design. Declared a Historic and Artistic Heritage Site of Spain in 1931, it also became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint James, the patron saint of Bilbao, and you can spot his symbol, the scallop shell, just above the entrance.
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