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One of the cases more peculiar than has occurred in the history of the
urban nomenclátor of the villa of Bilbao, is, without a doubt some, the one of the "New Street" of the Old Helmet, since being
baptized officially with the name of "San Vicente Martyr", nevertheless did not
get to be used this name and prevailed, from the first moment, the popular
denomination, derived from the simple fact of to have opened this street in the middle of century XVIII, from the one of Gardens to
the one of the Shore. Like it was, then, "new" rúa or street that
settled down in the urban topography, people, the town of Bilbao (that,
then, was only the one of the Old Helmet of our time), called it with that elementary name of Street New
or new street of Villa, exactly just as, in the extension of century XVI, it began to name
like "Bide-barrieta" to the new way that had been opened from the
square from Santiago to the Sandy ground, or as in century XIX the Bilbaoans assigned "the new" last name to the porticada seat that came
to compete with "the old" seat or of the Market. But we see how the one of the New Street took place
because, in addition, she is one of the streets of the Old Helmet that has a concrete date of birth: year
1740.
It governed the destinies of Bilbao, in that year, the mayor
Sir Luis de Ybarra and Larrea, who, in addition to mayor was "ordinary
judge" of Villa, his term and jurisdiction, is to say that he had faculty to
solve the lawsuits and differences between the neighbors, in first
instance. They accompanied to him in the "regiment" of Villa, a dozen of
"rexidores you will capitulate", that is to say, of councilmen,
divided, to equal parts, in the "banks" of San Pedro and San Pablo. They were these gentlemen, the following
ones: Future Sir Domingo of Albóñiga, Sir Joseph Ignacio de Azurduy, Sir
Antonio Joseph Salazar de Muñatones, Sir Joseph Hilarión de Uría
Nafarrondo, Sir Joaquin Joseph de Arriquíbar, Sir Bruno Miguel de
Urquijo, Sir Domingo de Herquinigo, Sir Phelipe de Garma and Novia, Sir Joseph Manuel de
Villabaso, Sir Gabriel of Santa Coloma, Sir Francisco Antonio de Larragoiti and
Sir Juan Baptist of Guendica and Mendieta. To that there is to add to the receiver general solicitor of Villa,
Sir Lorenzo de Barbachano and the notary public-secretary Sir Bruno de
Yurrebaso, to complete the equipment that governed Bilbao in 1740.
Day 19 of February of this same year the mentioned gentlemen met to
deliberate on several subjects concerning Villa, or, as then he said
myself: "to treat, to confer and to solve tocantes things to the service of both Majestys, divine and human and to the good and common
utility".
That, what subjects were those... Then for example, to decide to give
a certification to two doctors who had replaced another one in the Hospital of Bilbao, to dismiss two children which they were tiples of
the chapel of music of Santiago and to order to the teacher of the same
one, Don Joseph de Zailorda, which it looked for another pair of them and it had to them on approval during six months, under the
trusteeship of musical Don Domingo Fernandez Cheek; to remove to aid works from presbiterio from the
church from Santiago; to demand guarantees to the administrators of works pías of the Villa, and, in
short, most important in this municipal session, to accept the gift of a street that to him neighbors did and
to put official name to him to the same one.
The neighbors at issue were three and they were called: Sir Diego de
Allendesalazar, Sir Joseph Palace and Orrantia and Sir Joaquin Luis of Palace and Orueta, who were, these last ones, father
and son, respectively. The three very textually wrote up a writing or memorial
that signed and directed to the Council of Villa, saying, the following thing:
"Kind hixos of V.S. with the greater respect we expose to V.S., how,
in own land, and to expenses ours, preceded real license and faculty, we have opened a new street, from Sandy grounds
(today Shore) to the street that crosses, of the one of Santa Maria to the one of San
Miguel (today Bidebarrieta) and dádola in its pavement and uniformity, all the
precious that now allowed to the ground, directing it everything to the greater flattery of V.S. and universal
convenience of its individuals and, for last complement of our
obligation, we paid it to V.S., rendered, one deigns to admit this offering
and to distinguish it for the posterity with the name that is to the the liking and
to please of V.S. that, in the most constant happiness, God prospers expanded years, since there are
necessity ".
Whose own testimony, is left patent, that the present New Street, was
done in February of 1740; that one became on private lands and to expenses of three neighbors or proprietors of such lands and that
these #***aed-refl mng it to the municipality and they only requested to the City council that deigned to
accept it and to put name to him.
"In its Vista - the capitals with their mayor to the front answered and decided admitted his
gentlemen
what Villa offers itself and gives by this memorial this Nobleman and decided and decreed thank for that
reason most special to these gentlemen and put by name San Vicente Martyr to the referred street so that
therefore it is called from today in ahead and that in her, like in the other public and common
streets of this this Villa, the lights are put that his gentlemen Mr. Alcalde considered necessary so that it is illuminated
by the customary time".
From the 19 of February of 1740 the new street, opened from Sandy
grounds (Shore) to common or municipal the one of Gardens, that still east name did not take since it will have been noticed by the
memorial of the donors, above transcribed, became or it acquired the character
of public street. But what it does not say the document to us at issue (that is the act of the
country session of the 19 of February of 1740) is the reason of the name of San Vicente Martyr, assigned by the
City council to the new street. The devotion to this Santo more was rooted in the neighboring porch of Abando, whose official name era,
indeed, the one of San Vicente Martyr of Abando, being its celebration the 22 of January of every
year. Why to introduce that name in the Bilbao nomenclator? Perhaps in the new street it had placed some
image of the same one, according to was tradition of many streets of Bilbao, the true reason will be
difficult to never know it, since when giving him officially that name did not clarify anything on the
individual. In any case, that official name did not have any fortune, since people did not use nor the own
City council, when she began to put fixed labels to the streets, became to decide the name
that, he himself, had put to him and it never countermanded, but admitting,
however, without contradiction in popular name of New Street.
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The true name of the New street is the one of "San Vicente Martir"