Everything about Saint-jean-pied-de-port totally explained
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally meaning "Saint John at the foot of the mountain pass" in
French) (
Basque:
Donibane Garazi) is a
commune in the
French département of
Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It is the old capital of the traditional
Basque province of
Nafarroa Beherea (
Basse-Navarre).
Geography
The town lies on the river
Nive, 8 km from the
Spanish border. It is essentially one main street with
sandstone walls encircling.
Nearest places
History
The original town at nearby
Saint-Jean-le-Vieux was razed to the ground in
1177 by the troops of
Richard the Lionheart after a siege. The
Kings of Navarre refounded the town on its present site shortly afterwards.
The town has traditionally been an important point on the
Way of St. James, the
pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela, as it stands at the base of the
Roncevaux Pass across the
Pyrenees.
Pied-de-Port means 'foot of the pass' in Pyrenean
French. The routes from
Paris,
Vézelay and
Le Puy-en-Velay meet at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and it was the pilgrims' last stop before the arduous mountain crossing.
Sights
The cobbled rue de la Citadelle runs down hill and over the river from the
15th century Porte St-Jacques to the Porte d'Espagne by the bridge. From the bridge, there are views of the old houses with balconies overlooking the Nive. Many of the buildings are very old, of pink and grey
schist, and retain distinctive features, including inscriptions over their doors. One, a bakery, lists the price of wheat in
1789.
The
14th century red schist Gothic church, Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont, stands by the Porte d'Espagne. The original was built by
Sancho the Strong of
Navarre to commemorate the
1212 Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa where
Moorish dominance of Spain was undermined.
Above the town at the top of the hill is the
citadel, remodelled by
Vauban in the
17th century.
Outside the walls is a new town, with the
Hôtel de Ville and a
pelota fronton.
Economy
Traditional crafts and foods remain in the town, including Basque linen from the Inchauspé family since
1848. The town is now an important tourist centre for the
Pyrenees and the French Basque country and there are shops, restaurants and hotels.
Mondays see a large market, with sheep and cattle driven into the town. At 5pm, there's a communal game of bare-handed pelote at the fronton. There are large fairs four times a year.
Transportation
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is the terminus on the railway line from
Bayonne through the French Basque Country, along the valley of the river Nive, with several services each day. It is 1km from the centre of the town.
Miscellaneous
In 1998, the
Porte St-Jacques (city gate) was added to the
UNESCO World Heritage Sites as part of the sites along the
Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
Notable residents
Bernard Etxepare (late 15th - mid 16th cent.), writer of first book in Basque.
Juan Huarte de San Juan (c. 1530-1592), physician and psychologist was born there.
Charles Floquet (1828 - 1896), born in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, French lawyer and statesman.
Imanol Harinordoquy (born 1980), French international rugby union player, grew up in the town.Further Information
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