The Getaria of Elkano

After completing the first round-the-world voyage, Charles V saw the need to organise a new expedition and organised a squadron that set off under the command of García Jofre de Loaysa on 24 July 1525, from La Coruña. Elkano took part in this expedition as second-in-command and chief pilot, accompanied by several friends, neighbours and family members. They all died on that ill-fated expedition, including Juan Sebastián Elkano, who died in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on 6 August 1526.

Little remains of Elkano's legacy today, but in Getaria we can find different elements belonging to his family, or erected by the town of Getaria in honour of his illustrious son.

1

Monument to Elkano: Built in 1924 by the architects Agustín Aguirre and José Azpiroz and the sculptor Victorio Macho in 1924 for the Fourth Centenary of the First Round the World Race, where the names of all the survivors can be seen.

2

Cenotaph: Today it is located inside the Church of San Salvador. It was commissioned by Don Pedro de Echave y Asu on the tomb of the Elkano family. It reads as follows: "Juan Sebastián de Elcano, neighbour and native of this noble and loyal town of Guetaria, who was the first to circumnavigate the world with the Victory and in memory of this hero, Don Pedro de Echave y Azu, knight of the Order of Calatrava, ordered this slab to be placed here, year 1671, praying to God for him".

3

Bronze figure of Elkano: Carved by Antonio Palo, erected by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa in 1860, to commemorate Elkano as a champion of the foral regime. Moved in 1941 to the monument erected in San Sebastián in honour of the Gipuzkoans who died at sea in the service of Spain. Restored to its original site after Franco's death.

4

The site of the Elkano lineage and birthplace: In 1800, Manuel de Agote began the construction of a chapel on the site, but it was destroyed by the French bombardment in 1813.

5

Erromeronekua Palace: Owned by the Romero-Echave-Asu family, from 1678 it housed the archives of Elkano and the painting with the coat of arms granted by Charles I.

6

Marble figure of Elkano: Carved by Ricardo Bellver in 1881, it remained for years in Madrid until it was finally donated to the town of Getaria in commemoration of the 4th Centenary of the First Round the World Race.

7

Berdura plaza: Mural created by the Gipuzkoan artist Carlos Zabala, Arrastalu, dedicated to the first round-the-world trip that underlines the values of diversity and solidarity associated with that journey but, above all, with the future.

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Marble figure of Elkano: Carved by Ricardo Bellver in 1881, it remained for years in Madrid until it was finally donated to the town of Getaria in commemoration of the 4th Centenary of the First Round the World Race.