Ainhoa (; ) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlanti ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ainhoars''.

Geography

Location

The commune of ''Ainhoa'' is in the traditional

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Labourd Labourd ( eu, Lapurdi; la, Lapurdum; Gascon: ''Labord'') is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques ''département''. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial c ...

. Ainhoa is some 20 km due south of

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

and is directly on the Spanish border which forms the southern border of the commune. The commune is mountainous and forested in the south-east portion but with farmland in the northwest of the commune. There is one border crossing to Spain on the southern border at the village of Dantxana. ''Ainhoa'' and

Sare Sare may refer to: People * Bakary Saré (born 1990), Burkinabé football player * Clyde W. Sare (1936–2015), American politician and businessman * Haig Sare (born 1982), Australian rugby union player * Hamit Şare (born 1982), Turkish alpine sk ...

, together with the two Spanish communes of

Zugarramurdi Zugarramurdi is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre in northern Spain. It passed into history as the setting of alleged occult activity featured in the infamous Basque witch trials held in Logroño ...

and Urdazubi, form a cross-border territory, called ''Xareta''. Straddling the border with Spain, it is a passage for the

Way of St. James The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the Twelve Apostle ...

(''Baztan way'') from

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

. The commune's border with Spain is in the Dancharia area and accesses the area of Dantxarinea d'Urdazubi.

Access

The commune is connected to Espelette in the north-east by Highway D20 which passes through the village and continues south to the Spanish border. Highway D305 branches west off the D20 and continues west to join Highway D4 before ''Cherchebruit''. A network of small country roads covers all parts of the commune.Google Maps
/ref>

Hydrography

Located in the watershed of the

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. i ...

, the

Nivelle Nivelle () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department * Nivelle Offensive The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front ...

river runs along the southern border and forms the border between France and Spain. Numerous streams arise in the commune and flow down to the Nivelle including the Opalazioko erreka, the Lapitxuri and its tributaries, the Larreko erreka, the Erdiko erreka, the Farendeiko erreka, the Haitzagerriko erreka, and the Barretako erreka. Paul Raymond mentions the ''Haïçaguerry'', a tributary of the Nivelle, which descended to Gorospila on the Spanish border, and which crossed the territory of ''Ainhoue'' (the old spelling of Ainhoa).

Localities and hamlets

*Agerrea *Akatenea *Arbonakoborda *Armaia *Armaiaetxeberria *Arotxenborda *Barnetxekoborda *Capera *Chapelle d'Arantze *Col de Gorospil *Dantxaria *Dolharekoborda *Esponda *Ezpondakoborda *Fulianborda *Gaskoinenborda *Haizagerri *Haltienborda *Hariztoienborda *Harotxarenborda *Janmarienborda *Joaniorenborda *Kanpainia *Kontxoenea *Mazondoa *Mendiondoa *Mentaberria *Murruenea *Narkoinborda *Okilaua *Olhatxoa *Ordokikoborda *Ordosgoitikoborda *Patzikoenborda *Peorteikoborda *Perlaenborda *Tanburinborda *Ukutea *Urrutieneko Errota *Xara Handia *Xarak Géoportail

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

Toponymy

The commune name in

basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

is the same - ''Ainhoa''. Brigitte Jobbé-Duval Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, ''Dictionary of Place Names - Pyrénées-Atlantiques'', 2009, Archives and Culture, suggested that the name could come from the Basque ''aino'' which means "goat". The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune. Sources: *Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan,
'' New Basque Toponymy''
ref name="Orpustan">Jean-Baptiste Orpustan,
''New Basque Toponymy''
Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2006, *

Raymond Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

:''
''Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees''
1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. ''Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees''
Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 *Map: The Map of the Government-General of

Guyenne Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux. The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...

and

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

and the neighbouring region *Cassini:

Cassini Map The Cassini Map or Academy's Map is the first topographic and geometric map made of the Kingdom of France as a whole. It was compiled by the Cassini family, mainly César-François Cassini (Cassini III) and his son Jean-Dominique Cassini (Ca ...

from 1750Cassini Map 1750 – ''Ainhoüé''
/ref> *Ldh/EHESS/Cassini: *Lhande:

Pierre Lhande Pierre Lhande Heguy ( eu, Pierre Allande Hegi) was a French writer. He was born in Bayonne, France on 9 July 1877 and died 17 April 1957 in Tardets, Soule; for unknown reasons he was given his grandfather's surname, Lhande, as opposed to his fa ...

, ''Basque-French Dictionary''

, Dictionnaire basque-français, 1926 Origins: *Saint-Claire: Titles of the Abbey of Sainte-Claire of

Titles of the Abbey of Sainte-Claire of

- Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Collations: Collations of the

Diocese of Bayonne The Diocese of Bayonne, Lescar, and Oloron, commonly Diocese of Bayonne, (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baionensis, Lascurrensis et Oloronensis''; French language, French: ''Diocèse de Bayonne, Lescar et Oloron''; Basque language, Basque: ''Baionako, Leskar ...

Manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques

History

The ancient redoubt of ''Urrizti'' reflects the ancient past of the area.

From the 13th to 17th Centuries

Paul Raymond noted on page 4 of his 1863 dictionary that the parish of Ainhoa ''was in the gift of the Abbot of

Urdax Urdazubi/Urdax is a village and municipality located in the autonomous community of Navarre, in the north of Spain. Caves Well known because of its caves, Urdax is an interesting place for speleology at a basic level. Urdax caves were created b ...

(Spain)''. The Curacy of Ainhoa was created by the Priory of the

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

of Urdazubi in the 13th century. On 27 April 1238 the new king

Theobald I of Navarre Theobald I (french: Thibaut, es, Teobaldo; 30 May 1201 – 8 July 1253), also called the Troubadour and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne (as Theobald IV) from birth and King of Navarre from 1234. He initiated the Barons' Crusade, was famous ...

purchased the toll rights formerly instituted by Viscount Juan Pérez de Baztan, Ainhoa being then at the borders between the

Duchy of Aquitaine The Duchy of Aquitaine ( oc, Ducat d'Aquitània, ; french: Duché d'Aquitaine, ) was a historical fiefdom in western, central, and southern areas of present-day France to the south of the river Loire, although its extent, as well as its name, fluc ...

since 1151, run by the

Angevin Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to: *County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France **Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou **Counts and Dukes of Anjou * House of Ingelger, a Frank ...

Kings of England This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself King of the Anglo-Sax ...

and the Navarrese kingdom. Such tolls were charged to pilgrims and traders traveling to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

on the

in Galicia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Military clashes between the "English run" Basques of Aquitaine and the Navarrese in 1249 led the Seigneur of Ainhoa, in 1250, to recognize the

suzerainty Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...

of King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

. By 1265 Gonzalvo Juanis, Seigneur of Ainhoa, also known as Gonzalvo Ibáñez or Gonzalvo Yáñes, did not recognize either the English or the Navarrese. However he died in 1289 and opened the way to conquest based on old historical claims. Then, Garda Arnaut de

Espelette Espelette (; ; oc, Espeleta) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It lies in the traditional Basque province of Labourd. Sights The town is attractive, with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The ...

, with loyalty to the "English run" Basques of the Duchy of Aquitaine, sent a letter, dated 29 July 1289 praying the Ainhoa people to adequately connive with him. The outcome of such frontier business was to set up an "undivided" land as had been done also previously with the nearby

Aldudes Aldudes (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aldulais'' or ''Al ...

close to the Baztan valley. Documents from

Estella Estella may refer to: People * Diego de Estella (1524–1578) * Estella Sneider (born 1950) *Estella Warren (born 1978), Canadian actress *Estella, the ''nom de guerre'' of Italian labor leader Teresa Noce Fictional *Estella Havisham, a charact ...

dated September 1369, some 80 years later, proved that the people from Ainhoa paid taxes to both the King of Navarre and the "English" Seneschal of the

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word '' ...

territory in return for their fiscal and personal privileges. When "English run"

surrendered to the French in 1451 it is not known if these "undivided status" villages on the English-Navarrese frontier were taken by the French as well. In the Spanish Invasion of 1636 in the

territories many villages, including Ainhoa, were razed. Later, probably because of the 1659 " Treaty of the Pyrénées" whereby the Spanish-born Queen regent of France

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (french: Anne d'Autriche, italic=no, es, Ana María Mauricia, italic=no; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was an infanta of Spain who became Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XIII from their marriage in 1615 unti ...

with the help of

Cardinal Mazarin Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis X ...

, the First Minister of France, set up an advantageous (for the French) peace and also obtained

Maria Theresa of Spain Maria Theresa of Spain ( es, María Teresa de Austria; french: Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche; 10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683) was Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV. She was born an Infanta of Spain and Portugal a ...

as a wife for her son

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

. Ainhoa was then repopulated again. Disputes between the new settlers and the old residents concerning the use of

communal land Communal land is a (mostly rural) territory in possession of a community, rather than an individual or company . This sort of arrangement existed in almost all Europe until the 18th century, by which the king or the church officially owned the l ...

s for cattle grazing and fodder and the access by newcomers to town hall positions, schooling, church grants, etc. had to be settled by the then autonomous Parliament of Bordeaux in the sense of paying for access to village privileges. Ainhoa was destroyed during the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an es ...

(1618-1648) and then rebuilt. The only remains from before the destruction are the church and the Machitorénéa House.

The 18th century

In 1724, following the revolts in Saint-Jean-le-Vieux (1685)

Mouguerre Mouguerre (; eu, Mugerre)MUGERRE
Saint-Pierre-d'Irube Saint-Pierre-d'Irube (; eu, Hiriburu)HIRIBURU

(1696), the people of ''Ainhoa'' revolted against the salt tax and against other new taxes. This was a prelude to the uprisings in all of

in 1726 against the said taxes. Bayonne and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port followed in 1748. The Law of 4 March 1790Philippe Veyrin, The Basques, Arthaud, 1947, Re-ed. 1975, , page 185. determined a new administrative landscape of France by creating departments and districts. This resulted in the creation of the department of Basses-Pyrénées and reuniting the Béarn, the Gascon lands of

and

Bidache Bidache (; ; )BIDAXUNE

, and the three French Basque provinces. For the latter, three districts were created: Mauleon, Saint-Palais, and

Ustaritz Ustaritz (; eu, Uztaritze) is a town in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, southwestern France. It is located on the river Nive some inland from Bayonne. Ustaritz station has rai ...

which replaced the Bailiwick of

. The seat of Ustaritz was transferred almost immediately to Bayonne. Its Director persuaded a large number of municipalities to adopt new names conforming to the spirit of the Revolution. So ''Ainhoa'' was called ''Mendiarte'', Ustaritz became ''Marat-sur-Nive'',

Itxassou Itxassou (; Basque ''Itsasu'')ITSASU
Arbonne Arbonne (; eu, Arbona) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arbonars'' Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, ''Dictionary of place names - ...

became ''Constante'',

Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry (; eu, Baigorri)BAIGORRI

Saint-Palais became ''Mont-Bidouze'',

Louhossoa Louhossoa (; eu, Luhuso)LUHUSO
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John t theFoot of hePass"; eu, Donibane Garazi; es, San Juan Pie de Puerto) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothi ...

became ''Nive-Franche'',

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; eu, Donibane Lohitzune,Donibane Lohitzune
Auñamendi Ency ...

became ''Chauvin-Dragon'' (the name of a young soldier killed in action), and Souraïde became ''Mendialde''. In 1794, at the height of the Terror and after the desertion of forty seven young people from Itxassou, the

Committee of Public Safety The Committee of Public Safety (french: link=no, Comité de salut public) was a committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet during the Reign of Terror, a violent phase of the French Revolution. S ...

(Decree of 13 Ventôse Year II - 3 March 1794) arrested and deported some of the inhabitants (men, women and children) of Ainhoa,

Ascain Ascain (; eu, Azkaine) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Azkaindar''.

Itxassou Itxassou (; Basque ''Itsasu'')ITSASU
Sare Sare may refer to: People * Bakary Saré (born 1990), Burkinabé football player * Clyde W. Sare (1936–2015), American politician and businessman * Haig Sare (born 1982), Australian rugby union player * Hamit Şare (born 1982), Turkish alpine sk ...

, and

Souraïde Souraïde (; eu, Zuraide)ZURAIDE

Biriatou Biriatou (; eu, Biriatu)BIRIATU

Cambo-les-Bains Cambo-les-Bains (; eu, Kanbo) is a town in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It lies on the south-western bank of the river Nive. Cambo-les-Bains station has rail c ...

Larressore Larressore (; eu, Larresoro)LARRESORO

Louhossoa Louhossoa (; eu, Luhuso)LUHUSO
Mendionde Mendionde (Basque ''Lekorne'')LEKORNE
Macaye Macaye (; eu, Makea)MAKEA

. The people were "united in various national houses, or in the district of

or in the Great Redoubt, like

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

". In reality, they were gathered together in churches and then deported in very precarious conditions in

Capbreton Capbreton (; oc, Capberton) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Located at the mouth of the Boudigau and Bourret rivers, the town is situated about 40 km north of Biarritz. The town is a ...

Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse (; Gascon: ''Sent Vincenç de Tiròssa'') is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Landes department The following is a list of the 3 ...

, and

Ondres Ondres () is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is only two miles from the nearest beach (Ondres plage), which is well known for being a good surfing spot. Population Culture Ondres is the home ...

. The Departments where people from the communes were interned were the

Lot Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to: Common meanings Areas * Land lot, an area of land * Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *Lot number, in batch production *Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...

, the

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

, the

, the Basses-Pyrenees (partly béarnaise), and Hautes-Pyrenees. The return of exiles and the recovery of their possessions were determined by a series of decrees issued on 29 September and 1 October 1794, driven in this direction by the Director of Ustaritz who said: "The onetime communes of Sare, Itxassou, Ascain, Biriatou, and Serres, whose inhabitants were interned eight months ago as a measure of general safety, have not been improved. The people who come to obtain freedom to retire to their homes, clamour for food without my being able to procure the means to meet this primary human need, hunger.". The recovery of their possessions was not without difficulty, they were placed in receivership but were not registered and were looted: "The property, movable and immovable, of the inhabitants of Sare, were neither recorded nor legally described, and all our furniture and household effects were removed and brought confusedly to neighbouring communes. Instead of being put in safe places, some were sold at auction and sometimes sold without auction.".

19th-20th Centuries

During the retreat of the Napoleonic Army from Spain in 1813,

villages were again submitted to abuse by the Confederate British and Spanish troops. Under the

German occupation of France during World War II The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

many of these frontier villages were fully administered by the German military, but were also an escape route for British soldiers,

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

members, and European Jews trying to reach non-belligerent Spain.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Ainhoa

Intercommunality

Ainhoa is one of seven intercommunal organisations: *the

Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque The communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque ( eu, Euskal Hirigune Elkargoa), is the ''communauté d'agglomération'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the cities of Bayonne and Biarritz. It is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques depa ...

*the SIVU Errebi *the SIVU for the implementation of Natura 2000 on the Mondarrain and Artzamendi mountain ranges *the AEP Nive-Nivelle Union *the "Bizi Garbia" mixed union *the union to support Basque culture *the energy union of Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Population

The commune is part of the

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

of Bayonne.

Economy

Iron ore was mined until the 19th century. Its initial operation was by the

of Saint-Sauveur of Urdax. The weaving of

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

(''tisserands'') and wool (''duranguiers'') persists in Ainhoa where in

Hasparren Hasparren (; eu, Hazparne) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. A resident of Hasparren is known as a 'Hazpandar'. Geography Location It's a ''commune fait partie'' of the Basque Province of Labo ...

it was an important activity until the advent of the textile industry in the 19th century. Philippe Veyrin noted the existence of a factory making "chahako", small goatskins from male goats which peasants use for work or hunting. Ainhoa is part of the Appellation zone (AOC) for the production of

pimento A pimiento or pimento (or cherry pepper) is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper (''Capsicum annuum'') that measures 3 to 4 in (7 to 10 cm) long and 2 to 3 in (5 to 7 cm) wide (medium, elongate). Pimientos can have vario ...

s of

and also the AOC of the

Ossau-iraty Ossau-Iraty is an Occitan-Basque cheese made from sheep milk. Origin Ossau-Iraty or Esquirrou is produced in south-western France, in the Northern Basque Country and in Béarn. Its name reflects its geographical location, the Ossau Valley in Bé ...

. The activities in the commune are mainly agricultural and forestry (500 hectares of forest over an area of 1619 hectares). A quarry is always operating in the municipality.

Culture and heritage

The town has received an award from the '' Most beautiful villages in France'', an award from an independent organization to promote the tourist attractions of small communes rich with quality heritage.

Languages

According to the ''Map of the Seven Basque Provinces'' by Prince

Louis-Lucien Bonaparte Louis Lucien Bonaparte (4 January 1813 – 3 November 1891) was a French philologist. The third son of Napoleon's second surviving brother, Lucien Bonaparte, he spent much of his life outside France for political reasons. After a brief politica ...

published in 1863, the dialect of Basque spoken in Ainhoa is ''

labourdin Navarro-Labourdin or Navarro-Lapurdian ( eu, nafar-lapurtera) is a Basque dialect spoken in the Lower Navarre and Labourd (Lapurdi) former provinces of the French Basque Country (in the Pyrénées Atlantiques ''département''). It consists of ...

''.

Civil heritage

The village is laid out as a fortified town, with concealed labourdine houses from the 17th century and a fronton open square against the cemetery surrounding the church. *The Alhaxurruta Fountain well is present between the village and the Dancharia area and was noticed by

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

and

Eugénie de Montijo ''Doña'' María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marchioness of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo (), was Empress of the French from her marriage to Emperor Napo ...

during a tour here on 23 September 1858.

Religious Heritage

*The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (13th century) is registered as an historical monument. *The Chapel of Notre-Dame-d'Aubépine (Mary appeared to a young shepherd in a hawthorn bush (or ''arantza'' in Basque) hence the other name of the chapel Our Lady of Aranzazu) has had a Way of the Cross since 1886, a grotto since 1897, and a Calvary since 1898. In the 18th century, the parish of Ainhoa subsidized the hermit of the chapel to teach reading and writing to the shepherds and children in nearby farms who could not easily access the town.Philippe Veyrin, The Basques, Arthaud, 1975, , page 172. The cemetery contains

Hilarri Hilarri (from Basque ''hil'' 'dead' and ''harri'' 'stone') is the name given to disk-shaped funerary steles that are typical of the Basque Country. These funerary steles present a disc-shaped head facing the rising sun on a trapezoidal stand. ...

from the 16th and 17th centuries. Image:Ainhoa Eglise.JPG, The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption File:Ainhoa Notre-Dame de l'Assomtion vitrail770.JPG, Stained glass in the church Image:2007 Cimetière.JPG, The cemetery Image:Ainhoa Stèle2.JPG, Discoidal

Stele A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...

File:Ainhoa Stèle4.JPG, Tabular

Image:Ainhoa Stèle5.JPG, Discoidal Stele Image:Ainhoa_Eglise_et_cimetierre.jpg, Church and cemetery Image:Ainhoa_cimetierre_et_fronton.jpg, Cemetery Image:Ainhoa_stèle_discoîdale.jpg, Headstone Image:Ainhoa_stèle_discoïdale.jpg, Headstone File:Ainhoa Calvaire2.JPG, The

Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...

dating to 1898 File:Ainhoa Croix8.JPG, Rectangular Cross

Environmental heritage

Ainhoa Forest stretches over 400 hectares and is home to a rich fauna of both wild animals (

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

hares Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The gen ...

, and migratory birds) and semi-wild pastoral animals (

pottok The Pottok or Pottoka ( or , eu, pottoka ), is an endangered, semi-feral breed of pony native to the Pyrenees of the Basque Country in France and Spain. It is considered an ancient breed of horse, particularly well adapted to the harsh mounta ...

s, "bestisos", and

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of Caprinae, goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a membe ...

). The forest consists mainly of

oak tree An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

s, rustic essence and newer vegetation such as red American oak and softwood).

Facilities

Sports Facilities

Pelota Pelota (Spanish for ''ball'') can refer to the popular and shortened names for a number of ball games: * Basque pelota * Chaza * Jai alai * Mesoamerican ballgame * Palla * Pelota mixteca * Valencian pilota * Frontenis * Pétanque Pétanqu ...

is played in the Fronton in the village and the covered fronton at ''Ur Hegian''.

Education

The town has a public primary school.

Health

Two GPs are present in the town.

Notable People linked to the commune

*Jean-Pierre Duvoisin, born in 1810 at Ainhoa and died in 1891 at

Ciboure Ciboure (; ,ZIBURU

Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 Communes of France, communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department of France. The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 202 ...

Notes

References

External links

Ainhoa official website

AINHOA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)

*[https://besidestheobvious.net/2020/09/14/this-article-is-a-review-of-our-six-more-recommended-towns-to-visit-in-the-french-basque-country-bayonne-biarritz-saint-jean-de-luz-hendaia-espelette-and-ainhoa-here-you-will-find-what-to-expect/ Iparralde: the 6 best towns in French Basque Country] {{DEFAULTSORT:Ainhoa, Pyrenees-Atlantiques Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Labourd Plus Beaux Villages de France