San Miguel de Ereñozar, the viewpoint of Urdaibai.

San Miguel de Ereñozar, the hermitage from which you can see Urdaibai.

San Miguel de Ereñozar is one of the many natural watchtowers that Urdaibai has. And as many of you know, it is not the first time that we publish an article about some of the natural watchtowers of Urdaibai. We already did it with spaces such as San Pedro Atxarre or Bermeo’s own logging. Magical places that we recommend you to visit in every trip to Urdaibai. In this case, the hermitage of San Miguel de Ereñozar allows us to contemplate the estuary from Gernika to its mouth, a spectacular panoramic view.San Miguel de Ereñozar, is located in the municipality of Ereño, on the caves of Santimamiñe, at the top of Mount Ereñozar. An exceptional location to discover the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve from a bird’s eye view. On sunny days, you can also appreciate the mountains surrounding Durango. Do you dare to visit San Miguel de Ereñozar with us?

It is possible to reach the hermitage of San Miguel de Ereñozar from different points of Urdaibai. The most popular points are Santimamiñe, Gautegiz Arteaga or Ereño itself. There is also the possibility of arriving by car to practically the same hermitage. In any case, regardless of how you get to San Miguel de Ereñozar, we believe it is a very special place. Highly recommended.

Hermitage of San Miguel de Ereñozar.

The hermitage that we find at the top of the Ereñozar mountain, of rectangular plant and roof to two waters, counts on a small portico around the entrance. It is here, where the famous bell of San Miguel de Ereñozar is located. On one of its sides there is another portico where we can take refuge on rainy winter days. This hermitage of discreet dimensions (11×7) is very well preserved thanks to the work done by the Brotherhood of Friends of San Miguel de Ereñozar. A group that was in charge of restoring it in 1982 and to whom we must thank for being able to enjoy this incredible place. The interior of the hermitage is closed most of the year, so it is practically impossible to access to its interior. At the back of the hermitage, on one side, we can see 2 tombs. This discovery is the result of the work carried out by the archaeologists in 2008, when the reconditioning works were carried out and the integration of the informative panels that we find today.

History.

Although at present it may seem that San Miguel de Ereñozar is only a place of worship, a religious temple, it is not so. Or at least it has not always been so. The strategic location of this hermitage, at the top of the Ereño mountain, with total dominion over Urdaibai, led this watchtower to be fortified in order to protect itself from possible enemy attacks. This is how it is described in one of the documents of Alfonso XI, where it seems that several lords of Bizkaia protected themselves in the “castle of Sant Miguel d’Erencho” to avoid the attack of their troops. Thanks to the archaeological research carried out in 2008 by a team led by Mikel Neira, it has been possible to confirm the existence of a castle and a medieval necropolis that were located next to the original church. Therefore, it also confirms the hypothesis of several historians who indicated that there were multiple graves surrounding the hermitage. The structure we find today is the result of an auzolan (neighborhood work in Basque) carried out in 1982, a project in which the neighbors of the area came together voluntarily to give life to a chapel that had been damaged in 1409 by the fighting of sides and destroyed in 1978 by placing an explosive. This is how, thanks to the Friends of San Miguel de Ereñozar, we can still enjoy this iconic and historic place today.

Views.

The views we get from the top are one of the main attractions of San Miguel de Ereñozar. It is not surprising. Even less so when from the same point we are able to contemplate most of the Urdaibai estuary to its mouth. Quite a spectacle. Imagine being able to contemplate urban centers like Gernika, Gautegiz Arteaga, Murueta or Forua under our own feet. We are sure you will love it. In addition, during the sunny days, we can also appreciate the mountains that surround Durango.

Video of San Miguel de Ereñozar.

As usual in all our publications, we have complemented the images and words of this article with a short video about San Miguel de Ereñozar. This is how we hope to show you the true nature of this incredible place in Urdaibai. In case you like this kind of videos we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can discover all the places and experiences that we recommend you in the Basque Country.

What to see near San Miguel de Ereñozar.

The towns and cities that are less than 1 hour away from Urdaibai offer us the possibility to complement our trip to San Miguel de Ereñozar. In this sense, we wanted to compile some of the most striking spaces that we find in the surroundings of Ereño so that you can plan your next getaway. We hope you like them.

What to do near San Miguel de Ereñozar.

In Urdaibai and Bizkaia there are many experiences and activities to do. We recommend you to take a look at our reservation center, we are sure that some of them will catch your attention. In any case, we have compiled some of them for you to consider the possibility of doing an activity after your visit to San Miguel de Ereñozar.

How to get there.

There are several ways to get to the hermitage of San Miguel de Ereñozar. In fact, there is the possibility of arriving by car until practically the hermitage itself. A route that can also be done on foot. We leave you some options and tips to reach this idyllic place.

Where to park.

Depending on the option you choose to reach this enclave, you can leave your vehicle in the parking lot of Ereño (next to the town hall) or in an improvised parking that we find in the vicinity of the hermitage. In any case, we must point out that both parking lots are totally free. You must take into account that the parking spaces in both spaces are limited, so there is a possibility that you will not find a place to park. We recommend avoiding days and hours of high traffic.

Where to sleep near San Miguel de Ereñozar.

As you know, this is not the first time that we recommend accommodation in Urdaibai. In the interior of this biosphere reserve we find establishments for all tastes and budgets. On this occasion, we recommend that you access our reservation center so that you can evaluate all the possibilities.

Legends and festivities.

The hermitage of San Miguel de Ereñozar is not exempt of legends and festivities. There are many legends and beliefs surrounding this incredible space in Urdaibai. According to Barandiaran, in addition to the different bodies that were buried next to the hermitage, an ox skin full of gold is also buried somewhere on Mount Ereño. It is also said that everyone should visit San Miguel de Atxarre and its hermitage, and whoever does not do so, will do so after his death. In fact, it is said that the strong winds that whip the summit are the effect of the coming and going of the dead on pilgrimage. But these are not the only existing beliefs, it is also said that the water that falls from the roof of the hermitage has healing properties or that the devil and the archangel had a little fight down the hillside leaving different marks on the rock that we find on the way to this magnificent place. As you can see, the hermitage of San Miguel de Ereñozar has always had its own legends and popular beliefs. Interesting, isn’t it?

As you can appreciate the hermitage of San Miguel de Ereñozar is one of those places that must be visited in every visit to Urdaibai and Euskadi. A magical space that we are sure you will love. If you have any questions about San Miguel de Ereñozar, we recommend that you use the comment system that you will find below these lines to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!