Roland's Breach (french: La Brèche de Roland; es, La Brecha de Rolando; an, La Breca de Roldán; eu, Errolanen Arraila; ca, La Bretxa de Rotllà) is the name of a natural gap, 40 m across and 100 m high, at an elevation of 2804 m in 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 ...

on the border of

Aragón Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises th ...

, northern Spain, and Hautes-Pyrénées, France. The gap is situated in the

Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park The Ordesa Valley is a glacial valley in Aragon, in the Spanish Pyrenees which forms part of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. It was first discovered in 1820, but not mapped in detail until approximately the 1920s. The valley is about ...

on the Franco-Spanish border, close to the steep cliffs of the Cirque de Gavarnie. According to one legend Roland's Breach was cut by Count Roland with his sword

Durendal Durendal, also spelled Durandal, is the sword of Roland, a legendary paladin and partially historical officer of Charlemagne in French epic literature. It is also said to have belonged to young Charlemagne at one point, and, passing through Sara ...

in an attempt to destroy the sword, after being defeated during the

Battle of Roncesvalles The Battle of Roncevaux Pass (French and English spelling, ''Roncesvalles'' in Spanish, ''Orreaga'' in Basque) in 778 saw a large force of Basques ambush a part of Charlemagne's army in Roncevaux Pass, a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees on the ...

in 778. In a variant of one of the legends associated with Salto de Roldán, a rock formation about north of

Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, almo ...

, Roland ( es, Roldán), the foremost of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

paladins The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, where ...

, was being hotly pursued by Saracens, the Muslim Arab occupiers of Spain. Cornered at Salto de Roldán, he escaped by leaping the chasm on horseback from one of the crags to the other; the horse died in the attempt. Roland continued northward on foot, and smote the Pyrenees with his sword to create Roland's Breach, so that he could see France one last time before he died. The gap can be reached from the ''Refugio Sarradets'',"Refugio Serradets o Brecha de Rolando 2587 m."
madteam.net, retrieved 2013-08-20 a nearby mountain shelter, in about an hour's climb. The provenance of this myth is unclear as the Cirque du Gavarnie is approximately 150km East South East from the Roncesvaux Pass where the legend of Roland is based.

Gallery

Breche de Roland en El Dedo.jpg, Roland's Breach as seen from the Spanish side La breche de roland 3.jpg, Roland's Breach, seen from a distance

References

External links

"La Brecha de Rolando"
summitpost.org, retrieved 2013-08-20 (in French)
"Taillón (3.144m) por la Brecha de Rolando"
rutaspirineos.org, retrieved 2013-08-20 (in Spanish)
Otras bellas fotos de la brecha de Rolando
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roland's Breach Breach Mountain passes of Aragon Mountain passes of Spain Mountain passes of the Pyrenees Mountain passes of Hautes-Pyrénées France–Spain border crossings Tourist attractions in Hautes-Pyrénées