What to see and do in Lezama

Lezama is a small municipality in the Valley of Asúa, part of the Greater Bilbao area in Bizkaia, set along the Northern Way. A former elizate of the merindad of Uribe, it preserves the 11th-century Lezama Tower, the Renaissance-Baroque church of Santa María, and the Humilladero del Santo Cristo, a 17th-century chapel regarded as one of the finest in the Txorierri area.

A little history

The medieval vestiges that are still preserved in the territory of Lezama reveal the great importance of Middle Age structures in this area. The oldest surviving ancestral homes are Casa Basabil and Arechavaleta, founded in the 10th century.

Would you like to walk this part of the Camino with your accommodation booked for every stage? These organised trips pass through Lezama: Northern Way from Irún to Bilbao.

Lezama Tower

Located in the Aretxalde neighbourhood is the Lezama Tower, a square turreted construction ordered to be built by the ancestors of the lords of Lezama, probably in the 11th century. It was rebuilt by Pedro Ruiz de Lezama in 1360 and later sold to the Butrón family.

Church of Santa Maria

This temple, built in the 16th century, identifies among its main elements traces of Renaissance and Baroque style from later remodelings. In its interior, the baroque altarpiece and the choir crowned by a carpanel arch stand out.

Shrine of the Holy Christ

Also located in the Aretxalde neighbourhood, which houses several of Lezama's heritage jewels, the Humilladero del Santo Cristo is a hermitage built in the 17th century. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful temple in the Txorierri region. Its curious porticoed entrance, crowned by a belfry, is particularly noteworthy.

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