SAN TELMO MUSEOA
Museum that occupies a former Dominican convent, a place to discover the history, culture and way of life of the Basque people
Located at the foot of Mount Urgull, the San Telmo de San Sebastián Museum is housed in a former 16th-century Dominican convent with a beautiful cloister. Reopened in 2011 after its renovation, the museum has been extended and now has a contemporary façade with thousands of small holes that let vegetation escape. The San Telmo Museum is the place to discover the history, culture and ways of life of the Basque people. In the convent church, the Catalan artist Josep Maria Sert has explored through a series of 11 canvases themes of Basque culture such as the "fueros" (ancient local laws), whaling or the tree of Guernica. The museum also houses a remarkable collection of stelae from the Basque Country, some of which date back to pre-Roman times. Comprising more than 80 pieces, this collection is an exceptional testimony to Basque funerary art. The ethnographic section focuses on Basque society and, in particular, on the cult of ancestors through a collection of "argizaiolas", carved wooden candle boards used to watch over the dead. In the section devoted to fine arts, the collection of Basque art is particularly noteworthy, with works by the famous sculptors Jorge Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida, as well as by the figurative painter Vicente Ameztoy and other authors from the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum also regularly hosts temporary exhibitions and offers a variety of activities (see website).
Plein de choses sur l'histoire et la culture basque. Plus des expos temporaires : pour le prix, ça vaut le détour.