In Loiola a visit can be made to the
Loiola Tower House, a beautiful cubic building, gothic-Mudejar in style, which was partly demolished in 1456 and rebuilt in 1461.
In the 15th century, Enrique IV ordered that all Tower Houses be remodelled and the height of their walls lowered. For this reason the top edging rebuilt by the grandfather of Ignacio de Loiola is in brick, in the Mudejar style.
The Santuario de Loiola, set in a beautiful natural landscape, is a large architectural ensemble formed by a Basilica, in the central part, and two large side wings with a façade measuring 150 metres in length. It was designed by the Roman architect Carlo Fontana, a disciple of Bernini, under the patronage of Queen Mariana I de Austria.
The building lines of this Sanctuary, planned in the 17th century and inaugurated in the 18th, are very sober, despite it having been built in the baroque era. It combines Italianate elements with forged metalwork. The Basilica possesses a circular layout, measuring 33 metres in diameter, with a highlight being the 20 metre dome finished off with a polygonal bulbous cupola. A wide avenue from Azpeitia takes visitors to the steps leading to the Basilica. It is believed that Churriguera may have intervened in the decoration of the balustrades.
