t the
T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is der ...
Foot of hePass"; eu, Donibane Garazi; es, San Juan Pie de Puerto) 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 south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothills. The town is also the old capital of 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 of
Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre ( eu, Nafarroa Beherea/Baxenabarre; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; french: Basse-Navarre ; es, Baja Navarra) is a traditional region of the present-day French ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the ...
. Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is also a starting point for the
French Way
The French Way ( gl, Camiño francés, es, Camino francés, , literally the "way of the Franks") is the GR 65 and the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James ( es, Camino de Santiago), the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Com ...
''
Camino Francés
The French Way ( gl, Camiño francés, es, Camino francés, , literally the "way of the Franks") is the GR 65 and the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James ( es, Camino de Santiago), the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Co ...
'', the most popular option for travelling the ''
Camino de Santiago
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 apostle Saint ...
''.
Geography
The town lies on the river
Nive
The Nive (; eu, Errobi; oc, Niva) is a French river that flows through the French Basque Country. It is a left tributary of the river Adour. It is long. The river's source in the Pyrenees in Lower Navarre. The river Nive was made famous by th ...
, from the Spanish border, and is the head town of the region of
Basse-Navarre
Lower Navarre ( eu, Nafarroa Beherea/Baxenabarre; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; french: Basse-Navarre ; es, Baja Navarra) is a traditional region of the present-day French ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the ...
(Lower Navarre in English) and was classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France in 2016. The Pays de Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, also called Pays de Cize (
Garazi
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 footh ...
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 region surrounding Saint-Jean-Pied-Port. The town's layout is essentially one main street with
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
walls encircling. It is about by air and on road away 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 ...
( eu, Iruña), the capital of
Upper Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
Ispoure
Ispoure (; eu, Izpura) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.
It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre and historically has a high percentage of inhabitants of Cascarot descent.Alford, Vio ...
*
Uhart-Cize
Uhart-Cize () is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.
It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre.
See also
*Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
The following is a list of the 5 ...
*
Arnéguy
Arnéguy (; eu, Arnegi) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. The village is an important stopping point on the road between Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Pamplona, Spain, as it lies on the border of France ...
*
Luzaide/Valcarlos
Luzaide (Spanish: Valcarlos; official name Luzaide/Valcarlos) is a town in Navarre, northern Spain, located on the French border and just a few kilometers from the road frontier in the French village of Arnéguy.
Tradition holds that this is the ...
(Spain)
History
The original town at nearby Saint-Jean-le-Vieux was razed to the ground in 1177 by the troops of
Richard the Lionheart
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
after a siege. The Kings of Navarre refounded the town on its present site shortly afterwards.
The town was thereafter a town of the
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre (; , , , ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona (), was a Basque kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, alongside the Atlantic Ocean between present-day Spain and France.
The medieval state took ...
, and the seat of the sheriff of the
Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre ( eu, Nafarroa Beherea/Baxenabarre; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; french: Basse-Navarre ; es, Baja Navarra) is a traditional region of the present-day French ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the ...
district ("merindad" of ''Ultrapuertos'' or ''Deça-Ports''). It remained as such up to the period of the
Spanish conquest
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predece ...
(1512-1528) when King
Henry II of Navarre
Henry II (18 April 1503 – 25 May 1555), nicknamed ''Sangüesino'' because he was born at Sangüesa, was the King of Navarre from 1517, although his kingdom had been reduced to a small territory north of the Pyrenees by the Spanish conquest of 151 ...
decided to transfer the seat of the royal institutions to Saint Palais (Donapaleu) on safety grounds.
The town has traditionally been an important point on 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 ...
, the
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
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 ...
, as it stands at the base of the
Roncevaux Pass
Roncesvalles Pass, Ronceval Pass or Roncevaux Pass (; ; ; elevation 1057 m) is a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees near the border between France and Spain. The pass itself is entirely in Spain.
Location
The pass is located between the towns of ...
across the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
. ''Pied-de-Port'' means 'foot of the pass' in Pyrenean French. The routes from Paris,
Vézelay
Vézelay () is a commune in the department of Yonne in the north-central French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is a defensible hill town famous for Vézelay Abbey. The town and its 11th-century Romanesque Basilica of St Magdalene are de ...
and
Le Puy-en-Velay
Le Puy-en-Velay (, literally ''Le Puy in Velay''; oc, Lo Puèi de Velai ) is the prefecture of the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France.
Located near the river Loire, the city is famous for its ca ...
meet at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and it was the pilgrims' last stop before the arduous mountain crossing.
In 1998, the ''Porte St-Jacques'' (city gate) was added to the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s as part of the sites along the
Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
UNESCO designated the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France as a World Heritage Site in December 1998. The routes pass through the following regions of France: Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Ile-de ...
.
Main sights
The cobbled rue de la Citadelle runs down hill and over the river from the fifteenth 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, built of pink and grey
schist
Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...
, 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
Sancho VII ( eu, Antso VII.a; 11577 April 1234) called the Strong ( eu, Azkarra, es, el Fuerte) was King of Navarre from 1194 until his death in 1234. He was the son and heir of Sancho VI, whom he followed as the second king to hold the ti ...
of Navarre to commemorate the 1212
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, known in Islamic history as the Battle of Al-Uqab ( ar, معركة العقاب), took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the ''Reconquista'' and the medieval history of Spain. The Christ ...
citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
, remodelled by Vauban in the 17th century.
Outside the walls is a new town, with the Hôtel de Ville and a ''
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 ...
'' fronton.
File:SJPP-postcard.jpg, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the early 20th century
File:SJPP-pilota.jpg, ''
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 ...
'' fronton.
File:SJPP-station.jpg, The train station.
File:La Nive à St Jean-Pied-de-Port (Pays Basque) - Fonds Ancely - B315556101 A MALBOS 2 013.jpg, the
Nive
The Nive (; eu, Errobi; oc, Niva) is a French river that flows through the French Basque Country. It is a left tributary of the river Adour. It is long. The river's source in the Pyrenees in Lower Navarre. The river Nive was made famous by th ...
in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in 1843, by
Eugène de Malbos
Eugène de Malbos (21 August 1811 – 29 May 1858) was a French Romantic painter known for his lithographs of the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is ...
.
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
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
and the French Basque country and there are shops, restaurants and hotels.
St-Jean-Pied-de-Port specializes in goat cheese, like 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 ...
AOP cheese, artisanal trout breeding and piperade omelette with peppers and Bayonne ham.
Mondays see a large market, with sheep and cattle driven into the town. At 5pm, there is a communal game of bare-handed
pelote
Basque pelota (Basque language, Basque: '':eu:pilota, pilota'', Spanish Language, Spanish: '':es:pelota vasca, pelota vasca'', French Language, French: '':fr:pelote basque, pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ...
at the fronton. There are large fairs four times a year.
Transportation
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port station
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or Donibane Garazi is a railway station in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The station was opened in 1898 and is located at the end of the Bayonne - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port railway line. The station is ...
is the southern terminus of the railway line from Bayonne through the French Basque Country, along the valley of the river Nive, with several services each day. It is 1 km from the centre of the town. Biarritz Airport is the closest airport to Saint Jean Pied de Port.
Notable people
*
Bernard Etxepare
Bernard Etxepare (pronounced ) was a Basque writer of the 16th century, most famous for a collection of poems titled ''Linguæ Vasconum Primitiæ'' ("First Fruits of the Basque Language") he published in 1545, the first book to be published in the ...
(late 15th - mid 16th century), writer of first printed book in Basque.
* Juan Huarte de San Juan (c. 1530-1592), physician and psychologist was born there.
*
Charles Floquet
Charles Thomas Floquet (; 2 October 1828 – 18 January 1896) was a French lawyer and statesman.
Biography
He was born at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ( Basses-Pyrénées). Charles Floquet is the son of Pierre Charlemagne Floquet and Marie Léocadie ...
(1828–1896), born in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, French lawyer and statesman.
*
Imanol Harinordoquy
Imanol Harinordoquy, . (born 20 February 1980) is a French former rugby union player. He typically played as a number 8 for Stade Toulousain at club level in the Top 14 and for France internationally. Before signing with Biarritz ahead of the 2 ...
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player, grew up in the town.
See also
*
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 ...