St Andrew's Parish Church is the most deeply rooted historical spot in Eibar

We are standing before the most important place of religious worship in the City and, along with the Town Hall, its most emblematic building. St Andrew's parish church is a 16th century building and its surrounding medieval streets were badly affected after the war in areas such as Hospital kalea, Arraindi Kale, Piper Kale, Barrenkale, Zuloagatarren, Bidebarrieta, Txirio Kale or Bista Eder. Some of these streets disappeared altogether, others kept their name and finally some were rebuilt. They stood on a slope with many old wooden houses built very close together where the effects of the bombing and fire were devastating.

St Andrew's was taken as a reference by the Nationalists when firing their guns and yet the church was barely damaged. The actual bell tower, as the highest spot in Eibar, was used as a look out by the Amuategui Battalion, using binoculars to detect the presence of enemy planes.  

Members of the Amuategui Battalion using binoculars to spot on-coming air raids from St Andrew's bell tower. © Eibar Municipal Archive Author: Indalecio Ojanguren.

Observation teams were also set up in places such as the summit of Mount Galdaramiño and, until it was overrun, on Mount Karakate. The watchers phoned the Town Hall to warn them and a truck immediately drove round and round Eibar with its sirens blaring during the bombing to warn the population to go to one of the sixteen available shelters, seven of which even had electricity.  

The city was ordered to evacuate twice during the armed conflict, the first on 21st September 1936 when the advance of the Nationalists seemed unstoppable as they had taken Elgoibar that very day and in the days that followed they achieved a very advantageous position on several summits surrounding Eibar such as Karakate, Akondia, Kalamua and Arrate. The second occasion was shortly before the city fell, when it was clear that it was no longer possible to continue its defence. Many people had to round up their belongings and leave their homes, heading for an uncertain future.

Tough exile. Collecting belongings next to the main door of St Andrew's after the end of the battle. © Kutxa photo library. Author: Pascual Marín.

In the hours prior to the fall of Eibar, an uncontrolled group of defenders made the destruction worse by burning several buildings, launching fire from a tank that broke down next to Plaza Barria thereby preventing any more damage. The leader of the coup in the North, General Mola, and General Solchaga inspected the area shortly afterwards. In January 1936, Solchaga had been the president of the court that sentenced 172 people from Eibar concerning the 1934 revolution and, in turn, Mola died in a plane accident just a few days after visiting Eibar.

General Mola and Solchaga in the area around Plaza Barria and Calbetón inspect the sniper positions on St Andrew's façade. Behind them, there is the tank that was responsible for the partial burning of Eibar. © Kutxa photo library. Author: Pascual Marín.

In 1995, three boxes appeared in Mexico filled with 165 reels of film containing 4,500 photos by war reporters Robert Capa, David "Chim" Seymour and Gerda Taro on the Spanish Civil War, thought to be lost in 1939 and known as the "Mexican Suitcase". In 2007, they were classified in New York and images were discovered taken by "Chim" in Eibar in late January 1937 showing severe damage prior to the final attacks and the fire. They had been published in the French magazine Regards on 28th January 1937 and in Weekly Illustrated in England on 24th April the same year. They clearly showed that Eibar was already extremely damaged by that January.

Inauguration of the plaque with the name of Nationalists from Eibar who died on St Andrew's façade in the place then known as Martyrs' Square.

Now we will go down calle Bidebarrieta, crossing the area that was most severely damaged during the war due to continuous shelling from nearby mountains and air raids.

Main image:
Area surrounding St Andrew's church, destroyed at the end of the war. The Urki cemetery can be seen in the top of the picture. © Eibar Municipal Archive Civil Engineering and Land Development Fund. Author: Indalecio Ojanguren.