Guenkalea

Next to the old southern portal of the wall (called the Irureta portal) is the Arkupe house. It is a neoclassical building from 1854 with an arcaded facade facing the meadow, demonstrating its appreciation for the immemorial recreation place of the town.

An old oak grove, an important element in the urban layout of Markina, a meeting place and a place for taking strolls.

Baroque construction of the seventeenth century (1610). On its facade is the same shield that the tower of the same name, located in Urberuaga next to the BI-633 road, has. The oval shield contains a cross with fleur-de-lys outlines, a ribbon with dragon mouths, a tree with a passing animal and the inscription of the Ubilla motto: Paz más vale (Peace is better).

The community that existed without cloister since 1547 in the convent of San Agustín, on the opposite side of Santa María de Xemein, moved in 1653 to the current convent in the suburb of Abesua. The church dates from the 18th century (1793). Its limestone facade is in general simple, although the baroque manifestations are accentuated in the access. Above it is an empty sandstone cartouche, perhaps prepared to house the shield of the Order. It is finished off with a two-section belfry surmounted by a cross. The interior is shaped like a Latin cross and has the images of the Virgen de la Merced, san Pedro Nolasco, Nuestra Señora of Socorro, san Ramón Nonato and san Blas. On the baroque convent, the three brick floors were built in the 20th century by the Alava architect José Luis López de Uralde. Above the access, within a split pediment, the shield of the Order of Mercy is displayed: two children figures hold a crown and under it, the arms of Mercy, a cross and the four beams of the House of Aragon. Likewise, the facade shows another shield of the Order, although it´s a more modern work.

In 1917, the Colegio of the Merced began its journey launched by the Mercy nuns. They started with a small group of students with a clear objective: for women to have a place to train and expand their opportunities. In 1945, the Mercy nuns and the Berriz Congregation joined forces to set up the congregation that continues today: MMB or Missionary Nuns of Berriz. In 1961, expansion plans were carried out in the main building to start up the boarding school and expand the educational offer: it began to give Agricultural and Administrative high school. At that time, the school was renamed Colegio de la Vera-Cruz. In the period of democracy, when the possibility of teaching classes in Basque opened up, the School’s commitment to Basque culture was expanded. In 1985, the Colegio de la Vera-Cruz and the Ikastola Zerutxu were integrated and it took the name of Berakruz ikastola as we know it today.

Sports facility known worldwide as University of Pelota because it is a learning center for the great figures of Jai Alai. The first fronton built dates from the 18th century, although previously and taking advantage of a piece of wall, it was played in the fronton known as El Siete.

It is a baroque palace that hides a medieval tower, the Bidarte tower. On the ground floor, an access with large voussoirs presents in the main voussoir the shield of Bidarte – a tower with merlon – and on the shield an image of the Virgin. The ground and first floors are made of limestone ashlar masonry and the second is painted with floral decorations among which is – today illegible – the coat of arms of Murga, Montoya, Fernández de Ugarte y Aguirre. This palace is also known as the house of the Moro Vizcaíno (Biscayan Moor), José María Murga (1827-1876), a character who explored Morocco between 1862 and 1865 and author of the book Moroccan Memories of the Moro Vizcaíno. His memories and documents are stored there. With baroque spirit, it has a forest with various tree species and a little house that constitutes the natural complement of the palace.

At the end of the meadow is Eliza Txiki or hermitage of Santo Cristo de Abesua. Also known under the invocation of the Holy Cross and documented in the sixteenth century. It is considered an old a shrine – a place with a cross or image at the entrance of the towns. Small in size, it stands out for its baroque wrought-iron grille and for a Romanesque-style Christ inside. It is associated with the palace that we will describe below.