Did you know that the name of the city of San Sebastián comes from a medieval monastery?
Although the exact date of its construction is unknown, the Monastery of San Sebastián is already mentioned in a document dating from 1014, which states that it was placed under the authority of the Abbot of Leyre and the Bishop of Pamplona.
Located on the site where Miramar Palace stands today (in the Antiguo neighbourhood), this monastery was dedicated to Saint Sebastian and served as both a hospital and a church for pilgrims travelling to Santiago de Compostela.
Miramar Palace
The town of San Sebastián was founded around 1180 by the Navarrese king Sancho the Wise to serve as the Kingdom of Navarre’s seaport. The monarch took the name of the monastery and established in the town charter that the settlement would be called Sanctus Sebastianus, which evolved in the Romance language into the name San Sebastián.
A city of many names
Throughout history, the city has been known by many different names:
Donostia
This is the official name in Basque. According to the most widely accepted theory, it comes from Done Sebastiáne, which in turn derives from the Latin Dominus Sebastianus.
Donosti
This is a very common name and comes from the Gipuzkoan dialect, whose characteristic feature is the omission of the organic “a”, meaning a final “-a” that belongs to the actual word and is not an added article.
La Bella Easo
This name originated from the belief that the ancient Roman city of Oiasso (Easo) stood on the site of present-day San Sebastián. The demonym “easonense” is used as a literary alternative to “donostiarra”, although it has now fallen out of use.
Irutxulo or Hirutxulo
It means “three holes” in Basque. Fishermen used this name because, when viewing the city from the sea, three openings can be seen, formed by the spaces between the mountains and the island.
Sanse
This is a colloquial form derived from San Sebastián. It is also used by the residents of San Sebastián de los Reyes.
Donostia / San Sebastián
San Sebastián remained the official name until 1980. Today, the bilingual title Donostia / San Sebastián is used instead.
