For over a century, the Patronato de Sestao has served as a social and cultural engine for the community. Established in 1901, its primary goal was to promote Christian education and training for young people, while also providing cultural and sports activities for workers and their families who arrived in Sestao to work in the thriving factories of the early last century.
This institution became a significant reference point in the municipality across religious, educational, social, cultural, and sports spheres. It was located near the factories, on Txabarri street, thanks to the promoter José María Urquijo e Ibarra, who acquired the land. Historically, it housed a church on the fourth floor, where over 1,500 children attended catechism during the Second Republic, and which also hosted political rallies during the Franco regime. Additionally, it housed the Berriotxoa school, Sestao's first secondary education center, which educated over 3,000 students from 1952 until its closure. The Patronato also featured a fronton court and an assembly hall, which doubled as a cinema, and was the birthplace of the scout movement in the town.
This rich history, intertwined with the lives of many Sestao residents, will be revisited throughout May with a photographic exhibition and several conferences. The exhibition will open next Monday, the 4th, at the music school at 7:00 PM, and will be open until the 29th. It is part of the municipal exhibition program, as highlighted by the Culture Councilor, Carlos García de Andoin (PSE), and features numerous snapshots. Many of these images belong to a photography enthusiast and the driving force behind this exhibition.
“"I spent my childhood and youth there, and then I was a catechism teacher for almost 40 years. This was where the cultural and social life of the town was."
In addition to the exhibition, the 125th anniversary commemoration has also led to the creation of a website, www.patronatosestao.com, which features all the exhibition images and many more, along with videos and texts highlighting its entire history. Furthermore, two conferences will be held on the 7th and 21st, at 7:00 PM, at the music school, to explore the social transformation driven by this institution and its commitment to children and women.
Behind these events and the exhibition's organization are two former students, who were approached by the pastoral unit of Sestao with the idea of promoting these commemorative days. Despite the demolition of its original buildings, the spirit of the Patronato continues to thrive among many residents and in the church later established in the ground floors of the residential buildings constructed on the former site.
