Discover Lasarte: Romanesque architecture, trails and church

In Lasarte, the Anillo Verde offers a walk leading from Dehesa de Olárizu to Armentia and crossing the locality. It is 5.5 kilometres long. The route takes approximately one and a half hours.

This describes the route as a clearly defined connection through Lasarte: its starting point is at Dehesa de Olárizu and its destination is Armentia. The approximate duration is just as much a part of its route as its fixed length.

Trails and walks

The section of the Southern Walk that runs through Lasarte lies on part of the GR 25 long-distance trail. On the Southern Walk, the trail crosses the Batán River. The Anillo románico de Vitoria-Gasteiz is a route where Romanesque churches can be visited on an easy walk. This walk can be undertaken on foot or by bicycle.

Thus, a section of the GR 25, the crossing of the Batán River and a route to Romanesque churches converge in Lasarte. The Anillo románico de Vitoria-Gasteiz combines visits to several churches with travelling on foot or by bicycle.

Nature

Near Lasarte, the project area includes an area of particular interest for the sand martin (Riparia riparia). A management plan regulates this area.

In Álava’s strategy for ecological and landscape connectivity, the project area near Lasarte is designated as an ecological connectivity corridor. The corridor connects wooded areas and riverbanks in the surroundings of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

In addition to the basin within the project area, there are alder and ash stands. These stands are designated as habitats of Community interest.

A parcel road leads from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Lasarte. It runs alongside the former gravel-extraction area on the right bank of the Batán River.

The locality’s natural features thus extend from the riverbank to the wooded areas and the designated habitats. The parcel road follows the right bank of the Batán and passes an area where gravel was formerly extracted.

Culture

The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was originally built in the Romanesque style at the end of the 12th or beginning of the 13th century. Most of the present-day building is Gothic and dates from the 16th century.

The window in the church’s polygonal apse is one of the Romanesque works highlighted in the cultural heritage of the province of Álava. It is considered one of the richest and most beautiful Romanesque windows on the Iberian Peninsula.

A Gothic inscription in the apse records that the building was completed in 1511 at the initiative of “Martiniz Abad”.

The church has a medieval baptismal font. Its contemporary liturgical furnishings were created by the artist Néstor Basterretxea.

Nuestra Señora de la Asunción therefore brings together Romanesque, Gothic and contemporary elements. Its Romanesque origins, Gothic construction phase, 1511 inscription, medieval baptismal font and furnishings by Néstor Basterretxea belong to the church’s different historical layers.

History

Lasarte was the seat of the Junta de Caballeros e Infanzones. Wine was formerly grown in Lasarte, as documented by a charter from 1258.

The locality’s history therefore encompasses both its former role as the seat of the Junta de Caballeros e Infanzones and its historic wine production. The charter from 1258 provides specific written evidence of this.

Other places

Other places: Alaiza, Aprikano, Corro, Legutio, Añana, Goiuri-Ondona, Sobrón, Bilar

For the broader travel overview: Alava.