A top-ranking feature on the list of archaeological heritage sites in Bizkaia, and one that is essential in providing knowledge of Middle Ages settlements

Argiñeta today looks very different from what it was like in the higher Middle Ages. At that time it was just one of many necropolises in the Duranguesado area, located beside a small church and containing graves of different standards depending on the social standing and hierarchical position of the community members buried there. In fact lower ranked individuals were buried directly in pits dug into the earth. Some evidence of these pits can still be seen.

The main attraction of this necropolis lies in the group of marker stones or stelae and tombs in and beside the chapel, which can be dated to the seventh and eighth centuries, though some of them – especially those which bear inscriptions – could be from the ninth century. In terms of historical value these stelae can only be compared to those found in other similar northern Pyrenean sites.

They are characterised by disc-shaped motifs and decorations in the former astral symbols that bear witness to a long tradition, but some of the inscriptions found at Argiñeta are thought to be the oldest Christian inscriptions in Bizkaia and perhaps in the whole of the Basque Country. That is why the necropolis caught the attention of scholars during the increase a few decades ago of interest in the introduction and expansion of Christianity in this area.

However, findings from recent explorations have opened up a new area of interest in Argiñeta, concerned not so much with Christianity as with upper mediaeval population dynamics. Three samples sent for carbon dating proved to be from the 10th and 11th centuries, or perhaps from as far back as the ninth century. This means that a group of post holes excavated in 2010 are from buildings that stood here at least that long ago, confirming the existence of a high degree of occupancy at Argiñeta in mid-mediaeval times.

SAN ADRIÁN CHAPEL

The chapel of San Adrian was rebuilt in the 16th century and since then has been renovated several times. The 17th century cobblestones, of undoubted artistic value, stand out.
The chapel of the initial neighbourhoods not only had religious functions, but was also the place to bury the dead and the meeting place of the community to deal with problems or civil issues. The religious and civil space of the community adopted the name of “cofradía” (frade=brother) or brotherhood in English.

In these villages, the church was a unifying element. It was the collective reference point: the only public and secure building where, after religious celebrations, all the neighbors met in council to make joint decisions.