Built at the end of the 15th century, the Church of San Antón is not Bilbao’s oldest, but it is one

of the most typical. its history is closely tied to the city’s, to the point that the church is
represented, along with the bridge of the same name, on the city’s coat-of-arms. It’s located
next to the Nervion river.
300 years before the church was built, there was a warehouse. When Don Diego López de Haro
granted the Municipal Charter to the city in 1300, the old trading exchange was included into the
city, surrounded by a strong wall for defence and as flood protections. The remains of this wall
can be seen behind the altar of the church.
The current church was built in the Gothic style between 1546 and 1548, even though its
beautiful frontage is in the Renaissance style and the bell tower is Baroque. The inside is home
to interesting works by Luis Paret, Manuel Losada or Guiot de Beaugrant, the author of the
wonderful Plateresque altarpiece. In 1984 San Anton was declared a Site of Cultural Interest
(bien de interés cultural)