Download the app and start listening
GPS-guided audio guide while you walk.
Audio Guide Basilica of Santa Maria del Coro
About this place
Practical information
Points included in this audio guide
High Altar and Neoclassical Altarpiece
The main altar of neoclassical design dominates the basilica's interior with impressive solemnity. Presided over by an image of the Virgin of the Choir, it's flanked by altars dedicated to San Pío V and Santa Bárbara. Designed by Diego de Villanueva and executed by Francisco de Azurmendi, the altar forms part of a striking classicist ensemble, including the side retablos that frame this central devotional focal point.
Cavaillé-Coll Organ
The Cavaillé-Coll organ, built in 1863, ranks among the maker's finest instruments. This Romantic-era pipe organ features 44 stops across three manual keyboards of 54 notes, a 27-note pedal board, and 2,366 pipes in total. Vincent Cavaillé-Coll, brother of the renowned Aristide, oversaw its installation in San Sebastián's basilica with careful respect for the baroque architecture and Spanish organ tradition, preserving the traditional nomenclature and scaling of its stops.
Choir and Wooden Stalls of Bocente and Mendía
The choir of the Basílica de Santa María del Coro occupies the west end of the church, reached by a flight of steps. Its finest feature is a semicircular wooden choir stall, intricately carved from noble hardwoods by the craftsman Francisco Bocente y Mendía. This remarkable piece of ecclesiastical woodwork is well worth visiting to appreciate the skill of its execution.
Baroque-Rococo Main Façade
The Basílica de Santa María del Coro's principal façade stands as one of the temple's finest features, a stunning example of Rococo design flanked by two imposing towers that resemble a monumental altarpiece. The shell-shaped portal is richly adorned with sculptural decoration of pronounced devotional character, making it a notable architectural showcase to visit in San Sebastián.
Daily Chapel
The Capilla de diario is a small chapel located at the rear of the basilica's main nave, positioned on the right-hand side. It serves as part of the complex of rooms dedicated to parish administrative and practical functions within the church. This working chapel supports the daily operational needs of the basilica.
Harmony of Sound Sculpture (Pelzmann)
Armonía del Sonido is a contemporary sculpture featuring flowing, undulating white forms, mounted on the right side of the Basílica de Santa María del Coro façade since December 2014. Created by Irish sculptor Maximilian Pelzmann (Dublin, 1974), this striking piece serves as an allegory for music and the surrounding mountains between San Sebastián and Hondarribia. What to see: a prime example of modern public art in the city's historic quarter.
- 1.High Altar and Neoclassical Altarpiece
- 2.Cavaillé-Coll Organ
- 3.Choir and Wooden Stalls of Bocente and Mendía
- 4.Baroque-Rococo Main Façade
- 5.Daily Chapel
- 6.Harmony of Sound Sculpture (Pelzmann)
Kids audio available
Kids version available with adapted and fun language for the little ones (14 min)
Prefer to discover on the go?
Buy photo credits and take a photo of any monument. Our AI will recognize it and you'll receive the audio guide instantly.
Share with your family
Share your audio guides with your family using a single access code.
Learn how it worksDownload Guipock and start exploring
Audio guides narrated while you walk. Available on the App Store.
