Good Shepherd Cathedral of San Sebastián
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd located in the city of San Sebastián
, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
, Spain
. It is the seat of the suffragan Diocese of San Sebastián
and subordinated to the Archdiocese of Pamplona y Tudela. The most remarkable religious building of San Sebastián, it is endowed with a strong verticality and is the largest in Gipuzkoa. Its construction took place in the last years of the 19th century in a Historicist Neo-Gothic style. The church, dedicated to the Good Shepherd
, has held the rank of cathedral
since 1953.
and Beach of La Concha
, occupied by sand dunes and marshes, to build the church. Until it was finished, the spiritual needs of the local congregation were met by a provisional parish, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Opened in March 1888, this rudimentary church was made of wood and was between Loiola and Príncipe Streets.
In December 1887 a construction meeting chaired by the Dean D. Martín Lorenzo de Urizar Zalduegui-Ariño defined the bases of the project competition and set a budget of 750,000 peseta
s, and like the capacity of the church and its architectural style, it should be pointed. Four projects were presented, with the chosen design being by the donostiarra architect Manuel de Echave, who was entrusted with the supervision of works. The new church would be dedicated to the Good Shepherd.
The Spanish Royal Family
, who were vacationing in the city, were invited to the laying of the foundation stone. The events took place on September 29, 1888. The queen regent, Maria Christina
, her children and the Infante Antonio
, along with ministers and other officials, attended the solemn mass that the diocesan bishop D. Mariano Miguel Gómez held in the provisional parish church of the Sacred Heart. Following the ceremony, the royal entourage moved to the site of the new church and there proceeded to lay the foundation stone, which covered a lead box in which were enclosed pictures of the Pope and the Royal family, various coins of the time and copies of the Gazette of Madrid and of the Ecclesiastical Gazette. The minutes of the ceremony were signed by the baby king Alfonso XIII
, aged two years and four months, for which his mother had to take his hand. It is the first signature of Alfonso XIII on an official document.
Manuel de Echave went on to oversee the works having as master of the same José Vicente Mendía and, after his (Mendia) death, the master mason Agustín de Zumalabe. The foundation work required a careful drainage of the site to provide consolidated sand. For the general architecture the sandstone quarries of Mount Igeldo were chosen. The vaults were made with tufa
from Ocio (Álava
) and slate roofs were brought from Angers
(France
). The workers were all Basques. For the size of the stone of the capitals, ornaments, windows and needles that decorate the interior and exterior, the models presented by the local artist Julio Gargallo were accepted.
After just nine years of work (including almost two in which work was suspended for lack of resources, and the tower was not yet crowned), the Church of the Good Shepherd was consecrated for worship on July 30, 1897. Again, the Royal Family, the Queen Regent María Cristina, King Alfonso XIII and the Infanta María Teresa
attended the grand ceremony. The mass was officiated by D. Ramón Fernández de Piérola, Bishop of Vitoria
, the diocese to which then belonged Guipuzkoa. The tower was completed in 1899 under the direction of Ramón Cortázar. In the end, the construction of the church cost more than 1,500,000 peseta
s, and that was not including the altars and altarpieces.
Pope John Paul I
's papal bull Quo Commodus of November 2, 1949 created the Diocese of Bilbao and San Sebastián
seceding from the Diocese of Vitoria. The first bishop was the Catalan ecclesiastic Jaime Font i Andreu, appointed to office on May 13, 1950 and took office on September 3 that year. With the need to choose a Donostiarra church to host the local diocese, the choice was, by its magnificence and modernity, the Church of the Good Shepherd. On July 30, 1953, finally, the church achieved the rank of Cathedral
with the consecration of the new altar, acting as pastor D. Ignacio Lasquibar Olaciregui, who in 1954 took over from D. Román Mendiguchia.
After four years of reforms and changes that were needed to put the church to its new use as a diocesan church. For this the presbytery
was transformed with the installation of a new table after the removal of the original altar, of a florid Gothic style, carved in cedar wood by the Barcelonese workshops of Juan Riera, it was replaced by choir stalls and an image of the Good Shepherd. The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception
was transformed into a chapter house, and the Chapel of Christ, in the crypt, became the new parish vestry, leaving the former sacristy for the exclusive service of the council.
In 1972, Bishop Jacinto Argaya Goicoechea
undertook a second improvement of the church to mark the 75th anniversary of his inauguration. The neo-gothic pulpit made by Nicolás Medive, which was attached to one of the pillars, was removed. Also removed were the altars dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows
, Virgin of the Rosary
and Virgin of the Pillar. The roofs and windows were restored and walls and vaults were cleaned. The old floor of American oak was replaced by a new one in marble. The interior lighting was improved and new benches were installed.
, the dimensions of the church consist of:
This is a church with a Latin cross, three longitudinal aisles, transept nave and a pentagonal sanctuary. There is no ambulatory
. The two gables of the transept house two large rose windows that accentuate the light inside the church. The naves up to the crossing, of which the wider and the highest is the central, are segmented into five rectangular sections covered with four-parts vaults of simple ribbing. The two arms of the transept
consist of two sections arched in the same way. The crossing is the only section that features complex ribbing, incorporating tiercerons
between the main veins. From the crossing to the head, the naves are extended with three sections. In this posterior space, the four aisles, two on each side, balance the width of the transept, resulting in two separate areas of equal height and divided into six sections separated by four pillars. The slender bell tower
, located on the portico of the entrance, is clearly inspired by the spire
s of the Cologne Cathedral. The set of pilasters and buttresses terminating in pinnacles and spirelets decorated with buds enhance the verticality of the building.
, Our Lady of Mount Carmel
, Saint Anthony
and Francis of Assisi
, works by Julio Gargallo. This artist also worked on the altars of Teresa of Ávila
and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The sculpture of the Our Lady of the Rosary
presided over an altar that was decommissioned in 1972.
, and Pujol, from Barcelona
. That which occupies the seven double windows of the apse represents the twelve apostles and the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. There are also figurative windows in the baptistry. The rest of the stained glass is incorporated in double (at top) and triple (at bottom) windows and runs around the most of the side walls. Two rose windows open at the ends of the transept.
is the second that has been in the cathedral. It was installed in 1954. According to data published at the time, it was the largest organ in Spain
and one of the largest in Europe
. Its main console consists of five keyboards for hands, one for feet and 106 stops; also, in the presbytery lies an "echo organ" with two manual keyboards, pedals and 20 stops. The choir organ houses in its interior and exterior 9,535 pipes, the largest measures 10 meters, the whole thing weighing 30 tons. The huge instrument cost more than 1.5 million pesetas, thanks to the legacy of the Fermín Lasala, Duke of Mandas (1832–1917). It was built by Organería Española, of Azpeitia
, and its pumps, of several horsepower, were purchased from the workshop of Meindinger from Basel
.
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is the seat of the suffragan Diocese of San Sebastián
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Sebastián
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Sebastián is a diocese located in the city of San Sebastián in the Ecclesiastical province of Pamplona y Tudela in Spain.-Special churches:* Cathedral:**Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, San Sebastián* Minor basilicas:...
and subordinated to the Archdiocese of Pamplona y Tudela. The most remarkable religious building of San Sebastián, it is endowed with a strong verticality and is the largest in Gipuzkoa. Its construction took place in the last years of the 19th century in a Historicist Neo-Gothic style. The church, dedicated to the Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd may refer to:In Christianity:* The Good Shepherd , pericope found in John 10:1-21, and a popular image in which the Good Shepherd represents Jesus...
, has held the rank of cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
since 1953.
History
In 1881 a Royal Order created a new parish division in San Sebastián. This new division included the creation of a parish, claimed for years by locals in the southern part of the city, which later became known as the "Ensanche of Amara". In August 1887 the City Council gave an area between the river UrumeaUrumea
The Urumea a" 'thin') is a river in the Basque Country at the north of the Iberian Peninsula. It's one of a series of Basque rivers flowing into the Bay of Biscay and best known for being the river flowing to the sea on the city of San Sebastian...
and Beach of La Concha
Beach of La Concha
The Beach of La Concha is a beach in the Bay of La Concha in San Sebastián . It is one of the most famous urban beaches across the country....
, occupied by sand dunes and marshes, to build the church. Until it was finished, the spiritual needs of the local congregation were met by a provisional parish, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Opened in March 1888, this rudimentary church was made of wood and was between Loiola and Príncipe Streets.
In December 1887 a construction meeting chaired by the Dean D. Martín Lorenzo de Urizar Zalduegui-Ariño defined the bases of the project competition and set a budget of 750,000 peseta
Spanish peseta
The peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra .- Etymology :...
s, and like the capacity of the church and its architectural style, it should be pointed. Four projects were presented, with the chosen design being by the donostiarra architect Manuel de Echave, who was entrusted with the supervision of works. The new church would be dedicated to the Good Shepherd.
The Spanish Royal Family
Spanish Royal Family
The Royal Family of the Kingdom of Spain consists of the current king, Juan Carlos, his spouse, Queen Sofia of Spain and their direct descendants. The Spanish royal family belongs to the House of Borbón...
, who were vacationing in the city, were invited to the laying of the foundation stone. The events took place on September 29, 1888. The queen regent, Maria Christina
Maria Christina of Austria
Maria Christina of Austria was Queen consort of Spain as the second wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain...
, her children and the Infante Antonio
Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera
Antonio Maria Luis Felipe Juan Florencio de Orléans y Borbon was an Infante of Spain and the fourth Duke of Galliera in the Kingdom of Italy...
, along with ministers and other officials, attended the solemn mass that the diocesan bishop D. Mariano Miguel Gómez held in the provisional parish church of the Sacred Heart. Following the ceremony, the royal entourage moved to the site of the new church and there proceeded to lay the foundation stone, which covered a lead box in which were enclosed pictures of the Pope and the Royal family, various coins of the time and copies of the Gazette of Madrid and of the Ecclesiastical Gazette. The minutes of the ceremony were signed by the baby king Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
, aged two years and four months, for which his mother had to take his hand. It is the first signature of Alfonso XIII on an official document.
Manuel de Echave went on to oversee the works having as master of the same José Vicente Mendía and, after his (Mendia) death, the master mason Agustín de Zumalabe. The foundation work required a careful drainage of the site to provide consolidated sand. For the general architecture the sandstone quarries of Mount Igeldo were chosen. The vaults were made with tufa
Tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar carbonate deposits known as travertine...
from Ocio (Álava
Álava
Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
) and slate roofs were brought from Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). The workers were all Basques. For the size of the stone of the capitals, ornaments, windows and needles that decorate the interior and exterior, the models presented by the local artist Julio Gargallo were accepted.
After just nine years of work (including almost two in which work was suspended for lack of resources, and the tower was not yet crowned), the Church of the Good Shepherd was consecrated for worship on July 30, 1897. Again, the Royal Family, the Queen Regent María Cristina, King Alfonso XIII and the Infanta María Teresa
Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain
Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain was the second eldest child and daughter of Alfonso XII of Spain and his second wife Maria Christina of Austria...
attended the grand ceremony. The mass was officiated by D. Ramón Fernández de Piérola, Bishop of Vitoria
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
, the diocese to which then belonged Guipuzkoa. The tower was completed in 1899 under the direction of Ramón Cortázar. In the end, the construction of the church cost more than 1,500,000 peseta
Spanish peseta
The peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra .- Etymology :...
s, and that was not including the altars and altarpieces.
Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul I
John Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
's papal bull Quo Commodus of November 2, 1949 created the Diocese of Bilbao and San Sebastián
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Sebastián
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Sebastián is a diocese located in the city of San Sebastián in the Ecclesiastical province of Pamplona y Tudela in Spain.-Special churches:* Cathedral:**Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, San Sebastián* Minor basilicas:...
seceding from the Diocese of Vitoria. The first bishop was the Catalan ecclesiastic Jaime Font i Andreu, appointed to office on May 13, 1950 and took office on September 3 that year. With the need to choose a Donostiarra church to host the local diocese, the choice was, by its magnificence and modernity, the Church of the Good Shepherd. On July 30, 1953, finally, the church achieved the rank of Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
with the consecration of the new altar, acting as pastor D. Ignacio Lasquibar Olaciregui, who in 1954 took over from D. Román Mendiguchia.
After four years of reforms and changes that were needed to put the church to its new use as a diocesan church. For this the presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
was transformed with the installation of a new table after the removal of the original altar, of a florid Gothic style, carved in cedar wood by the Barcelonese workshops of Juan Riera, it was replaced by choir stalls and an image of the Good Shepherd. The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
was transformed into a chapter house, and the Chapel of Christ, in the crypt, became the new parish vestry, leaving the former sacristy for the exclusive service of the council.
In 1972, Bishop Jacinto Argaya Goicoechea
Jacinto Argaya Goicoechea
Jacinto Argaya Goicoechea was a Spanish-Basque prelate of the Catholic Church....
undertook a second improvement of the church to mark the 75th anniversary of his inauguration. The neo-gothic pulpit made by Nicolás Medive, which was attached to one of the pillars, was removed. Also removed were the altars dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows , the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows , and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life...
, Virgin of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in relation to the rosary....
and Virgin of the Pillar. The roofs and windows were restored and walls and vaults were cleaned. The old floor of American oak was replaced by a new one in marble. The interior lighting was improved and new benches were installed.
Description
In the plans of the architect Manuel de Echave, who apparently was inspired by Cologne CathedralCologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
, the dimensions of the church consist of:
- an area of 1915 square metres (2,290.3 sq yd),
- a nave height of 25 metres (82 ft),
- a tower of 75 metres (246.1 ft),
- a central nave of 64 metres (210 ft) long by 36 metres (118.1 ft) wide at the crossing,
- and a capacity of 4,000 people.
This is a church with a Latin cross, three longitudinal aisles, transept nave and a pentagonal sanctuary. There is no ambulatory
Ambulatory
The ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar....
. The two gables of the transept house two large rose windows that accentuate the light inside the church. The naves up to the crossing, of which the wider and the highest is the central, are segmented into five rectangular sections covered with four-parts vaults of simple ribbing. The two arms of the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
consist of two sections arched in the same way. The crossing is the only section that features complex ribbing, incorporating tiercerons
Lierne (vault)
A Lierne in Gothic rib vaulting is an architectural term for a tertiary rib spanning between two other ribs, instead of from a springer, or to the central boss...
between the main veins. From the crossing to the head, the naves are extended with three sections. In this posterior space, the four aisles, two on each side, balance the width of the transept, resulting in two separate areas of equal height and divided into six sections separated by four pillars. The slender bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, located on the portico of the entrance, is clearly inspired by the spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
s of the Cologne Cathedral. The set of pilasters and buttresses terminating in pinnacles and spirelets decorated with buds enhance the verticality of the building.
Indoor furniture
The Main Chapel, since the reform of 1972, appears austerely furnished by choir stalls worked by the Goicoechea y Arín workshop of Vitoria. On it, resting on a pedestal that hangs from the central boss of the apse, the sculpture of the Good Shepherd, which was on the original Neo-gothic altar. A work of the Barcelonan artist Joseph Llimona, also maker of the figures of the Four Evangelists, from the old altar and which today are on the pillars of the crossing. Under the rose windows of the transept the initial design included two small pedestrian doors that were finally replaced by two altarpieces, of Neo-Gothic style and gold-covered, these were placed as the devotions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Conception of Mary. They were installed in 1907 and 1917. Other items of interest are the altars and shrines of the Holy FamilyHoly Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph.The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Roman Catholic Church in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family...
, Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid 13th centuries...
, Saint Anthony
Saint Anthony
-People:*Anthony of Antioch , Martyr under Diocletian. Feast day: January 9*Anthony the Great , Egyptian Christian saint and Desert Father. Feast day: January 17 or 30...
and Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, works by Julio Gargallo. This artist also worked on the altars of Teresa of Ávila
Teresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The sculpture of the Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in relation to the rosary....
presided over an altar that was decommissioned in 1972.
Crypt
Located under the presbytery, the crypt functions as parish sacristy since the reform of 1949-1953. The remains of first parish priest, D. Martín Lorenzo de Urizar, are entombed here..Stained Glass
The cathedral's stained glass was designed by Juan Bautista Lázaro and made by the workshop of Bolinaga and Cía., from LeónLeón, Spain
León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population...
, and Pujol, from Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. That which occupies the seven double windows of the apse represents the twelve apostles and the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. There are also figurative windows in the baptistry. The rest of the stained glass is incorporated in double (at top) and triple (at bottom) windows and runs around the most of the side walls. Two rose windows open at the ends of the transept.
Organ
The current organOrgan (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
is the second that has been in the cathedral. It was installed in 1954. According to data published at the time, it was the largest organ in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and one of the largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Its main console consists of five keyboards for hands, one for feet and 106 stops; also, in the presbytery lies an "echo organ" with two manual keyboards, pedals and 20 stops. The choir organ houses in its interior and exterior 9,535 pipes, the largest measures 10 meters, the whole thing weighing 30 tons. The huge instrument cost more than 1.5 million pesetas, thanks to the legacy of the Fermín Lasala, Duke of Mandas (1832–1917). It was built by Organería Española, of Azpeitia
Azpeitia
Azpeitia is a town and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain, located on the Urola river a few kilometres east of Azkoitia. Its population is 13,708 . It is located 16 miles southwest of Donostia/San Sebastián.Azpeitia is the birth place of Ignatius of Loyola...
, and its pumps, of several horsepower, were purchased from the workshop of Meindinger from Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
.