**Sasiola** ::naturaleza 
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Located in an area of exceptional natural, archaeological and cultural value, Sasiola has long served as a key meeting point connecting both banks of the Deba River. Since medieval times, it was a crossroads of paths, bridges and trade routes, and between the 14th and 16th centuries it became one of the most important corridors for transporting wool and iron ore to the port of Deba. The powerful Sasiola lineage —one of the most influential in the Basque Country and the Kingdom of Castile— established its ancestral home here, complete with mills, a shipyard and the ancient chapel of Our Lady of Mercy.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Franciscans founded the convent-hospital of San Francisco de Sasiola, which soon became a major spiritual and assistance center for pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago. The complex included a church, a cloister, auxiliary rooms, vegetable gardens and even a historic pelota court, one of the oldest in the Basque Country. Devotion to Saint Francis was widespread —even Juan Sebastián Elkano expressed in his will his desire to support the convent. Although the site later suffered fires, abandonment and decay, 20th-century restorations ensured its preservation as a valuable monumental ensemble.
Beyond its religious relevance, Sasiola played a strategic role during the Castilian War of the Communities (1520–1522) as a meeting point and stronghold for the Gipuzkoan comuneros. Its history blends spirituality, commerce, conflict and tradition, making it an essential place for understanding Deba’s past and the evolution of its routes, landscapes and communities over the centuries.
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