The Baïgorry Valley is a valley in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

through which flows the , a tributary of the

Nive The Nive (; ; ) 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 the ''Le petit Nicol ...

River.

Geography

Location

The modern definition of the Baïgorry Valley refers to a region within the

French Basque Country The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...

, located in the

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...

department of the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

region, adjacent to the border with Spain (specifically the Navarrese Community). It corresponds to the present-day Canton of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, excluding the Ossès area, which includes the communes of

Ossès Ossès (; )ORTZAIZE

Bidarray Bidarray (; )BIDARRAI

, and

Saint-Martin-d'Arrossa Saint-Martin-d'Arrossa (; )ARROSA

To the east, the valley is bounded by the Nive d'Arnéguy and abuts the Pays de Cize. It extends southward into the Pays Quint (known as ''Kintoa'' 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 ...

or ''Quinto Real'' in Spanish), reaching into the Navarrese Erro Valley. Historically, during the Middle Ages, the term "Baïgorry Valley" encompassed a broader area than it does today, stretching further south into Spanish territory. Eight

communes 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 ...

are currently situated within the valley: Aldudes, Anhaux,

Ascarat Ascarat (; )AZKARATE

Banca Banca may refer to: Places * Bangka Island, an island lying east of Sumatra, part of Indonesia * Banca, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département'', France * Banca, Tasmania, a locality in Tasmania, Australia * ...

Irouléguy Irouléguy (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre. It is mainly known for the Irouléguy AOC wine which is grown on the vineyards of the are ...

Lasse Lasse is a common masculine given name in Nordic countries. It is also often a nickname for people named Lars or Lauri. Notable people named Lasse include: Given name * Lasse Aasland (1926–2001), Norwegian politician * Lasse Berg Johnsen (b ...

Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry (; )BAIGORRI
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia < ...

, and Urepel.

Topography and geology

Aldudes massif

The Baïgorry Valley lies within an ancient massif composed of

Paleozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...

rocks dating from 550 to 250 million years ago. The Aldudes Massif features mountains with uniform summit ridges, dominated by the 1,570-meter (5,150 ft) peak of Orzanzourièta. Many peaks exceed 1,000 meters (3,280 ft), supporting a traditional pastoral lifestyle with summer grazing (''estivage'') in the valleys of Aldudes, Baztan, Erro, and

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 ...

. Two-thirds of the peaks southeast of the line from Ardaza to Samoa—totaling 23 summits—range between 1,180 and 1,285 meters (3,871–4,216 ft), with 14 concentrated between 1,220 and 1,260 meters (4,003–4,134 ft). The southern boundary of this Paleozoic block aligns with the latitude of

Roncevaux Roncesvalles ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a small village and municipality in Navarre, northern Spain. It is situated on the small river Urrobi at an altitude of some in the Pyrenees, about from the French border as the crow flies, or by road. Histo ...

. To the northwest, the

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

dividing the

and

Bidassoa __NOTOC__ The Bidasoa (; ; , ) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan) in the province of Navar ...

river basins follows the crest of a

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...

Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...

cuesta A cuesta () is a hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side, and a steep slope on the other. In geology, the term is more specifically applied to a ridge where a harder sedimentary rock overlies a softer layer, the whole being tilted somew ...

in the Baztan region, formed of pink

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

. This geological structure continues northward to the Col d'Ispéguy, where primary rock outcrops narrow until reaching the Cize-Baïgorry tectonic depression. The massif terminates to the north at this point, overlooking an 11-kilometer (6.8 mi) stretch eastward to Saint-Michel, with a steep escarpment of 700 to 900 meters (2,297–2,953 ft) above the Cize depression. This depression, between the Col d’Oustéléguy and Irouléguy toward

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John

t the T, or t, is the twentieth letter of 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 d ...

Foot of hePass"; ; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean f ...

, features low altitudes—never exceeding 300 meters (984 ft), with valley floors averaging 150 meters (492 ft)—and a mild climate, sheltered by the southern mountain range and northern hills. Its limestone subsoil has supported viticulture. The eastern edge of the massif is marked by a sharp

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

break at the Ourkouloua cuesta, with a less defined boundary near

Estérençuby Estérençuby (; )EZTERENZUBI
Eastern rocks from the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

period include oily schists, friable quartzitic sandstones, and massive or griotte-bearing limestones. The Aldudes Massif forms an asymmetrical, uplifted Paleozoic block, overlooking its sedimentary cover to the north and south, while being overshadowed by it to the west and east.

Baïgorry Valley

The massif’s oldest layers, from the

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era, and the second of twelve periods of the Phanerozoic Eon (geology), Eon. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years f ...

, consist of black schists, ''quartzophyllades'', and hard, crystalline-cemented

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

conglomerates in white or gray hues, forming thick beds ranging from 20 centimeters to several meters. These rocks create the steep escarpments of Aintziaga, Harrihandia, and Larrarte above Urdos. The Ispéguy valley features rocky outcrops of primary rock within black schists. Where schists dominate, the landscape softens into more regular profiles, contrasting rounded forms—like Mount Oylarandoy or the Hayra Valley—with sharp rocky fronts, such as the quartzite gorges of Valcarlos or the Munhoa-Artainbarria cliffs. Overlying Ordovician layers are softer

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 23.5 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the third and shortest period of t ...

black schists, which have eroded to form notches at several current passes. In the south, the Aldudes basin results from the erosion of soft schists and occasionally

dolomitic Dolomite () is an anhydrous carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate, ideally The term is also used for a sedimentary carbonate rock composed mostly of the mineral dolomite (see Dolomite (rock)). An alternative name sometimes ...

limestones. A significant deposit of pure

magnesium carbonate Magnesium carbonate, (archaic name magnesia alba), is an inorganic salt that is a colourless or white solid. Several hydrated and Base (chemistry), basic forms of magnesium carbonate also exist as minerals. Forms The most common magnesium car ...

-rich limestone spans the Pays Quint and Aldudes Valley but remains unexploited as of the early 21st century. These limestones feature dolines and sinkholes carved by rainwater and runoff, notably near Esnazu and the pastures of Pays Quint, often covered by thick grass or trees. Such formations are also visible on the slopes of Adarza (1,250 m or 4,101 ft) and Mendimotcha, where sinkholes like Ohakoa have formed above Banca. The eastern valley features straight-sided hills separated by valleys with friable sandstone subsoils and outcrops, rapidly eroded by rain and frost, observable at the Aldudes sand quarry and Bihurrietabuztan ravines. In contrast, the western valley saw red sandstones deposited in the early

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...

(circa 225 million years ago) after the folding of the primary bedrock. This thick layer rims the Aldudes Massif, dipping toward Baztan and rising near the Nive Valley, forming a steep escarpment from Bidarray to the Col d’Ispéguy, peaking at

Hautza The Hautza or Autza, is a mountain on the Spanish side of the border in Navarre. It is located between Elizondo in Baztan (municipality), Baztan (Navarre, Spain) and Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry (Lower Navarre, France). Geography The Hautza is t ...

(1,306 m or 4,285 ft) just 400 meters (1,312 ft) from the Spanish border. These red sandstones, also found along the Larla (700 m or 2,297 ft) and Yarra (812 m or 2,664 ft) ridges interrupted by the Nive gorge below Eyheralde, are quarried under the misnomer "

La Rhune Larrun (, ; ; ; - 'good pasture', possibly a folk etymology, in French until the 20th century: ''Larhune'') is a mountain (905 m) at the western end of the Pyrenees. It is located on the border of France and Spain, where the traditional Basque ...

slabs."

Peaks

The Adartza (1,250 m or 4,101 ft) lies between Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, Lasse, and Anhaux. Artzaïnharria reaches 971 m (3,186 ft), while Arrolakoharria, between Banca, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, and Anhaux, stands at 1,060 m (3,478 ft). The Munhoa (1,021 m or 3,350 ft) is located between Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry and

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John

Foot of hePass"; ; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean f ...

, accessible via the

GR10 GR 10 is a French GR footpath, or hiking trail, that runs the length of the Pyrenees Mountains. It roughly parallels the French–Spanish border on the French side. Those attempting the entire trail often choose to walk it from west to east, from ...

trail from Anhaux, Lasse, or Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry. Other summits include Harrigorry (806 m or 2,644 ft), Munhogain (853 m or 2,799 ft), Otsamunho (901 m or 2,956 ft), Errola (908 m or 2,979 ft), Abraku (1,003 m or 3,291 ft), Ichtauz (1,024 m or 3,360 ft), Antchola (1,119 m or 3,671 ft), Mehatzé (1,209 m or 3,967 ft), Lindus (1,220 m or 4,003 ft), Mendimotcha (1,224 m or 4,016 ft), and Aurigna (1,278 m or 4,193 ft). Border peaks include Ahintziaga (905 m or 2,969 ft) and

(1,306 m or 4,285 ft), both west of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, and

Adi Adi or ADI may refer to: Abbreviations * Acceptable daily intake, in health and medicine * Acting detective inspector, a type of police inspector * Africa Development Indicators, a compilation of data assembled by the World Bank * Alternating ...

(1,450 m or 4,757 ft) between Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry and Urepel.

Geological composition

The valley’s

geognosy Abraham Gottlob Werner (; 25 September 174930 June 1817) was a German geologist who set out an early theory about the stratification of the Earth's crust and propounded a history of the Earth that came to be known as Neptunism. While most tene ...

, particularly its mineral and metal deposits, has attracted human interest since antiquity, leading to early exploitation. A key copper deposit lies near Donostey, above Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, within quartz-rich schists. The Ustelleguy mountain features a

spathic iron Siderite is a mineral composed of iron(II) carbonate (FeCO3). Its name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "iron". A valuable iron ore, it consists of 48% iron and lacks sulfur and phosphorus. Zinc, magnesium, and manganese commonly s ...

vein on its western slope of red sandstone, trending north-south, with traces of pyritic copper. Numerous

baryte Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate (Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...

veins, yellowish-white and often pure, sometimes mixed with blue and green copper carbonate and iron ochre, occur in the Haussa, Ustelleguy, Jara, and Borchirietta mountains amid red or schistose sandstone beds. Pink or red sandstones abound along the watershed between the Aldudes and Baztan valleys, overlaying clayey schists in areas like Harrieta, Haussa, Ispeguy, Boustancellay, and Harrigorry, often forming puddingstone with large eroded fragments. The Haitzalde caves, carved by runoff over hundreds of meters in limestone, complement a subsoil of variegated clays—once used by tilemakers near Licerasse—and ophite deposits, likely from submarine volcanic activity 200 million years ago. Exploited sites, like the now-closed Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry quarry and the recently reopened Eyeralde quarry, provide

ballast Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within ...

and marine riprap for the Basque Coast at

Anglet Anglet (; , )ANGELU
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia is a Communes of Fra ...

. Weathered ophite yields calcium- and potassium-rich sands, while some veins contain pale green

prehnite Prehnite is an inosilicate of calcium and aluminium with the formula: Ca2Al(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 with limited Fe3+ substitutes for aluminium in the structure. Prehnite crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system, and most often forms as stalactitic ...

, noted near Casten erreka ("chestnut stream").

Mining deposits

Situated in a region with a rich mining and metallurgical history, the Baïgorry Valley lies along a northwest-southeast axis of copper, iron, silver, and gold deposits, stretching from the Baztan Valley through Baïgorry and Valcarlos to the Aezkoa Valley. Outcrops range from

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ...

in the northwest to

and

in the southeast, overlaid by thick Permo-Triassic pink sandstones. Most deposits align with their encasing geological periods:

schists and quartzites consistently bear iron (

hematite Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...

siderite Siderite is a mineral composed of iron(II) carbonate (FeCO3). Its name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "iron". A valuable iron ore, it consists of 48% iron and lacks sulfur and phosphorus. Zinc, magnesium, and manganese commonly ...

) and copper (

chalcopyrite Chalcopyrite ( ) is a copper iron sulfide mineral and the most abundant copper ore mineral. It has the chemical formula CuFeS2 and crystallizes in the tetragonal system. It has a brassy to golden yellow color and a Mohs scale, hardness of 3.5 to 4 ...

), occasionally with silver-bearing gray copper; Devonian formations yield iron in

breccia Breccia ( , ; ) is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or Rock (geology), rocks cementation (geology), cemented together by a fine-grained matrix (geology), matrix. The word has its origins in the Italian language ...

with hematite cement or oolitic forms, and sulfides like

sphalerite Sphalerite is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in Sedimentary exhalative deposits, sedimentary exhalative, Carbonate-hoste ...

pyrite The mineral pyrite ( ), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue ...

galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crysta ...

, and chalcopyrite, with

cinnabar Cinnabar (; ), or cinnabarite (), also known as ''mercurblende'' is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and is t ...

in Aezkoa. Gold mining thrived on Baztan’s northern slope until

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, while silver was extracted at Banca.

Hydrology

The Aldudes Massif, nestled within the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the

Adour The Adour (; ; ) 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. is known as the ' ...

, channels its waters almost entirely northeast, feeding two tributaries of the

: the Nive d'Arnéguy and the Nive des Aldudes. These streams originate in the massif, approximately 1,600 meters (5,250 ft) and 800 meters (2,625 ft) from the southern edge of the primary Paleozoic block. They flow within an ancient basin-shaped by

inverted relief Inverted relief, inverted topography, or topographic inversion refers to landscape features that have reversed their elevation relative to other features. It most often occurs when low areas of a landscape become filled with lava or sediment t ...

, exposing a flattened, eroded core of older rock beneath a sedimentary

periclinal In structural geology, an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex up in which the hinge or crest is the ...

cover. The Nive des Aldudes—dubbed "the great stream of Baygorri" in 1675—alongside the Hayra stream, courses westward, initially flowing north-northwest toward the

syncline In structural geology, a syncline is a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure, whereas an anticline is the inverse of a syncline. A synclinorium (plural synclinoriums or synclinoria) is a large syncline with superimposed ...

basin of Maya. It then skirts the eastern edge of this basin northward, heading toward the tectonic depression of Cize-Baïgorry. Between Aldudes and Banca, the river cuts through the Permo-Triassic Bearzun syncline via fractures in the terrain, joined by the Harchouri and Orizon streams, which emerge from valleys curving eastward. A tributary from Hostatégui Peak carves a 3-kilometer (1.9-mi) channel, towering 10 to 40 meters (33–131 ft) above the Orizon stream. The Nive des Aldudes gathers numerous tributaries across the valley, including the Oholbidéko erreka, flowing through Anhaux and Lasse, and the Hairako erreka and Bihuntzeguiko erreka, watering Banca. Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, meanwhile, is crisscrossed by the Guermiette and Urdos streams and the Nekaitzeko, Abrakako, and Bihuntzeguiko errekas. The Nive des Aldudes and most of its tributaries—excluding the Bihunseguiko Erreka, Imilztegiko Erreka, Urbeltch, and Belechiro Erreka—are classified to protect or restore ecological continuity, banning new structures that obstruct this flow. To the east, the Nive d'Arnéguy—or "Aïri"—also flows toward the Cize depression.

Climate

The valley’s climate blends Atlantic influences from the west with the effects of the towering massif it backs onto, often exceeding 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) in elevation. The nearest

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasting, weather forecasts and to study the weather and clima ...

, Biarritz-Anglet, lies less than 40 kilometers (25 mi) away as the crow flies,The

orthodromic An orthodromic impulse runs along an axon in its anterograde direction, away from the soma (cell body). In the heart, orthodromic may also refer to an impulse going in the correct direction from the dendrites to axon terminal (from the atria to ...

distance between Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry and

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...

is detailed at . offering a reliable baseline despite variations due to the valley’s proximity to rugged terrain and relative distance from the Atlantic coast, impacting rainfall, sunlight, and temperature swings. High rainfall defines the valley. At Banca’s weather station, perched at 254 meters (833 ft), annual precipitation averaged 2,027 millimeters (80 in) from 1976 to 1985, peaking at 2,500 millimeters (98 in) in 1979. Nestled against the peaks, Banca sees far more rain than Irouléguy to the north. Data from 1971 to 1990 show Banca averaging 150 rainy days annually. The wet season spans roughly six months, easing into a four-month summer respite with monthly averages around 100 millimeters (4 in)—half the rainy season’s totals. Snowfall is scarce, with occasional peaks above 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) during winter, leaving some white cornices. Frosts are equally rare: 1985 saw 51 freeze days, while 1982 had just 11, averaging about 30 days below 0 °C (32 °F) yearly. Temperature disparities emerge between valleys—where Banca hit -12.6 °C (9 °F) in January 1985—and frost-trapping hollows, like Irouléguy’s -15.4 °C (4 °F) that month. These extremes are outliers; January typically averages 7 °C (45 °F). Summers are warm, with July and August averaging 19–20 °C (66–68 °F), occasionally soaring above 35 °C (95 °F)—Banca hit 39.2 °C (102.6 °F) in 1982. From September to December, the southerly ''haize hegoa'' wind clears skies, pushing temperatures past 20 °C (68 °F)—Irouléguy recorded 33 °C (91 °F) in October 1985 and 26 °C (79 °F) that December.

Transportation and communication routes

The former railway

In August 1878, as part of regional connectivity studies spurred by Public Works Minister

Charles de Freycinet Charles Louis de Saulces de Freycinet (; 14 November 1828 – 14 May 1923) was a French statesman who served four times as Prime Minister during the Third Republic. He also served an important term as Minister of War (1888–1893). He belonged ...

, the departmental council endorsed a rail line from Bayonne to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, with a branch from Ossès to Aldudes. This extension was bolstered by prospects of an international line to

Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...

. Declared a public utility on July 17, 1879, the line—officially “Bayonne to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, with a branch from Ossès to Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry”—was concessioned to the '' Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi et du Canal latéral à la Garonne'' (Midi Railway Company and the Garonne Lateral Canal) via an agreement ratified on November 20, 1878 (likely a typo for 1878 in the original). The Ossès to Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry segment opened on June 26, 1898. Early plans for a Spanish extension faltered due to the steep costs of climbing to 890 meters (2,920 ft) at Urquiaga Pass and tunneling through the Quinto Real massif to the Arga valley, though the Baïgorry copper mines justified the branch’s completion. Tracing the Nive des Aldudes, which it crosses, the line served stations at Eyheralde, Borciriette, and terminated at Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry station. It ceased operations on February 6, 2014.

Road network

The Aldudes Massif valleys, carved by gorges, feature roads hewn into rock along the Nive rivers of Arnéguy and Aldudes. Not until the late 18th century did valley-bottom municipalities commit to maintaining passable roads, a costly endeavor. The Hayra valley, for instance, awaited a viable path until 1950, despite homes stretching across six of its twelve kilometers (3.7 of 7.5 mi) by then. Access from France comes via Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry and the Nive valley along the D 948 from

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

. Before its 17th-century opening through Ossès, connections ran via the Cize region. From Spain, the links the valley to Pamplona via Urkiaga Pass (“place of birches”), joining the N135 at Zubiri in the Navarre Foral Community. The

Izpegi Pass The Izpegi Pass (, , ) is a 672 m high Pyrenean mountain pass located right on the border between Spain and France, linking the Baztan and Baigorri valleys in the Basque Country. The river Bidasoa, called Baztan on its upper stage, rises cl ...

, at 672 meters (2,205 ft) beneath the 1,305-meter (4,281-ft) Auza Peak, offers another route to Spain’s Baztan valley via the , extending as the toward Elizondo.

Pilgrimage and hiking trails

While valley floors long challenged vehicular travel, ridge paths abound. 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 ...

route, part of the ''Camino Navarro'' on the Way of St. James pilgrimage, stretches from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port through Mezquiriz and Erro passes. Pilgrims to Pamplona can alternatively traverse the Aldudes valley, crossing the Pyrenees at Urquiaga Pass. Beyond the narrow valley, the Pays Quint plain unfurls, flanked by low mountains, with only Urquiaga Pass to the south before Navarre. Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry lies on the GR 10 trail, spanning the Pyrenees west to east. It’s the starting point for a trek along the Iparla ridges to

Bidarray Bidarray (; )BIDARRAI

, straddling the Spanish border.

Urbanism

Morphological evolution

Settlement in the Baïgorry Valley began with the establishment of hamlets in the northern, lower reaches of the valley. By 1381, the village of Saint-Étienne encompassed eleven parishes: Leizparz (or Leispars), Urdos, La Bastide, Othikoren (or Otticoren), Okoz (or Occos), Germieta (or Guermiette), Anhaux, Irouléguy, Sorhoeta (or Sorhouette), Ascarat, and Lasse. The latter extended westward to the locales of Jauregi and Uhaldea. Additional hamlets dotted the area, including Bursoritz between Irouléguy and Sorhoeta, and Lizarazu, Eyheralde, Arambide, Bidaurre, and Iribarne east of La Bastide and Urdos. Etxauz and Aphararen flanked Saint-Étienne to the north and south, respectively. (Today, Anhaux,

Ascarat Ascarat (; )AZKARATE

, and

are independent communes, while the districts of Eyheralde, Germieta, Okoz, and Urdos retain their places of worship.) During the Middle Ages, Anhaux’s Xuritua quarter housed a majority of

Cagot The ''Cagots'' () were a persecuted minority who lived in the west of France and northern Spain: the Navarrese Pyrenees, Basque provinces, Béarn, Aragón, Gascony and Brittany. Evidence of the group exists as far back as 1000 CE. The name th ...

s, primarily weavers. By the late 15th century, approximately 280 homes were concentrated in the north, not extending beyond the Saint-Étienne quarter. Population growth in the 17th and 18th centuries, driven by younger siblings settling in the valley’s southern reaches, led to the construction of shepherd huts on previously uninhabited land. This expansion birthed the villages of Banca, Urepel, and Aldudes. Large buildings from this period often bear their original owners’ names, suffixed with ''enea'' (“belonging to”). The village of Aldudes, in the valley’s south, was historically part of the Pays Quint, under the jurisdiction of the Erro Valley as late as 1773. Despite building prohibitions, 10 cabins existed there in the 13th century, growing to 70 by the 17th century. Its church was erected in 1688, and the treaties of 1785 and 1856, acknowledging the established presence, recognized the parish. Urepel, north of the Pays Quint opening, separated from Aldudes in 1865 to become an independent commune.

Architecture

The traditional agricultural houses of the Baïgorry Valley reflect adaptations to the local climate and the agro-pastoral lifestyle dominant before World War II, prior to the mechanization of farming. These Lower Navarrese-style homes feature two gable walls supporting a double-pitched roof. Typically, their facades are coated with white

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

and accented by an arched ochre sandstone doorway. A balcony, supported by floor joists between the lateral load-bearing walls, extends above the first floor, serving the purpose of drying seeds like maize,

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. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

, or

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

s for planting. The ground floor opens into the ''ezkaratze'', a high-ceilinged central workspace that leads to the living quarters. It also houses the stable, cellar, laundry, and cart shed, while the upper floor typically serves as a granary.

Natural and technological risks

The valley is not covered by any (SAGE). In 2014, 11 classified facilities for environmental protection were recorded in Aldudes, primarily related to

fish farming Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of ...

. Similarly, Anhaux, Ascarat, Banca, Irouléguy, Lasse, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, and Urepel each reported 11 classified facilities, mainly tied to quarrying or river resource exploitation. Natural hazards, including floods, wildfires, and storms, are noted in the valley per the departmental major risk dossier. Banca faces an additional risk of underground quarry collapse. Seismic risk is moderate, rated at 4 on a 1-to-5 scale. Recently, five natural disaster declarations have been issued for valley communes due to flooding and wave-induced mechanical shocks (two decrees), flooding and mudslides (two decrees), and a storm (one decree).

Toponymy

The term ''vallée'' in ''Vallée de Baïgorry'' first appears in 980, alongside references to the Arberoue, Ossès, and Cize valleys, consecrated by Bishop Arsius Raca as ''vallis que dicitur Bigur''. It denoted both a mountainous geographic area and an administrative territory of the Church. By the late 10th century, the valley fell under the diocese of ''Lapurdum''-Bayonne, encompassing all or part of what would become Lower Navarre. In 1350, its eleven original hamlets, spanning from Cize to Uhart-Cize, housed nearly 300 homes, 49 of which belonged to ''infançones'' (petty nobility). The term ''infançon'' appears as ''enfençon'' in the 13th century; from the 16th century, French historians, prioritizing lineage over land ownership, reclassified infançons as non-noble. In the Baïgorry Valley, 17th- and 18th-century house lintels preserve the identities of infançon owners, such as ''Aintziondo'' in Ascarat, ''Sorzabalbehere'' in Saint-Étienne, and the former ''Iriberrigarai'', inscribed with “''Infançonne je suis née, infançonne je mourrai''” (“Born an ''infançonne'', I shall die an ''infançonne''”). ''Baïgorry'' (or ''Baigorri'' in vernacular

), derived from Old Basque ''bai'' (“river, watercourse”) and ''gorri'' (“red”), is not unique in the Basque Country. A village near Estella in Navarre and a house in

Montory Montory (; ; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is located in the historical province of Soule (). See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the ...

Soule Soule (; Basque language, Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; ) is a former viscounty and France, French Provinces of France, province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département in France, départ ...

share the name. The form ''Baicor(r)ix'' appears in at least three

votive A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

inscriptions from the Upper Comminges before the 5th century. Alongside the 980 spelling ''bigur'', 14th- and 15th-century Gallo-Roman texts record ''baigor'', ''beigur'', and ''Baiguer'', while the original name emerged in 1238 as ''santi stephani de baigorrie''. The modern “y” is a “remnant of medieval spelling.” Before its 980 administrative designations, ''Baïgorry'' likely referred solely to the Nive d’Urepel valley. Local architecture, both traditional and modern, frequently incorporates the valley’s reddish sandstones, visible in its subsoil and waterways. Though the Aldudes parish formed in the 17th century, its toponym dates to at least the late 12th century, describing the mountainous slopes of the upper Nive des Aldudes valley near the Spanish border. The Basque form ''aldude'' persists in Navarrese records, while Romance languages add a plural marker by 1237 in Navarro-Castilian texts. Jean-Baptiste Orpustan suggests the Basque etymon ''ald(a)-uhide'', meaning “slope of the water path.” Aldudes became a commune in 1793. Its Esnazu quarter, stretching toward Navarre and the Col d’Urquiaga, reflects a pastoral role due to its elevation, derived from Basque ''esne'' (“milk”) as a “place suited for milk production.” From east to west, starting at the Pays de Cize, Ascarat (attested since 1106) is reached via a steep climb, its name blending Basque ''aitz'' (“rock”) and ''garate'' (“high place”). Lasse, named for the Basque hydronym ''latsa'' (“river”), tied to the Nive d’Arnéguy and its tributaries in the southeast, first appears as ''laatssa'' in 1266. Anhaux, known since 1068 as ''onodz'', puzzles etymologists; Orpustan wavers between a Basque blend of ''hauz'' (“height”) and ''ahun'' (“goat”)—“height of goats”—or the Latin ''fanu(m)'' (“shrine”)—“height of a sacred place.” Further west, Sorhoeta, one of the valley’s eleven original hamlets (now part of Irouléguy), appears as ''soroeta'' in 1350. Derived from Basque ''sor(h)o'' (“field, meadow”), borrowed from Latin ''solu(m)'' (“place of fields”), it reflects agricultural roots. Nearby, toward Irouléguy at the foot of Jara (811 m or 2,661 ft), modern ''Moussourits'' evolved from ''Bursoritz'' (''burssoriz'' in 1350), combining ''buru'' (“limit”) and ''sor(h)o''—“edge of cultivated lands”—hinting at settlement progression. Irouléguy, recorded as ''yrurleguj'' in 1264, likely merges ''hirur'' (“three”) and ''hegi'' (“ridge”), possibly nodding to the trio of overlooking peaks: Jara (north), Munhoa (1,021 m or 3,350 ft, south), and Oilarandoy (933 m or 3,061 ft, southwest). Guermiette (''gueremieta'' in 1264), another medieval hamlet beneath Munhoa and Oilarandoy, has an uncertain etymology, debated among linguists. Occos (''olcotz'' in 1249), a district on the watered slope above the Nive, may trace to a Gaulish root via Late and Medieval Latin, yielding French “

ouche The Ouche () is a river in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Saône, which it joins in Échenon. It is long. Its source is in Lusigny-sur-Ouche. The Ouche flows through the towns of Bligny-sur-Ouche, ...

” (“enclosure, cultivated land, garden”) and Spanish ''huelga'' (“garden by a stream”). Otikoren, on the Nive’s right bank among the original eleven hamlets, appears as ''hoticoren'' in 1350, an anthroponymic name meaning “belonging to Otiko,” unchanged since the Middle Ages. Northwest, at the gorge threshold between Larla and Iparla, Urdos (''hurdos'' in 1350) sits on a plateau, its name from Aquitanian ''urd-'' (“elevated flat, plateau”), linked to a fortified house (''jauregia''). Leispars (''layzparz'' in 1264), overlooking a Nive bend, denotes a noble house cluster, with a fortified house (''lassale de lehitzpartz'') noted in 1366 and about 15 tax hearths in medieval times; its etymology is muddled by Basque roots ''leiz-'' (“abyss”) and ''leizarr'' (“ash tree”). In the south, ''Banca'' emerged in the 19th century after the decline of ''La fonderie'' (“The Foundry”), tied to mining and the 1747 smelter’s closure. It borrows from French “''banc''” (“bench”), referring to quarry rock ledges in Basque usage. Urepel, cited as ''johan durepel'' in 1279, derives from ''ure'' (“water”) and means “tepid water,” naming the Nive d’Urepel or d’Oureppe. An 1840 cadastral misreading of “''La N. d’Urep''” as “''la Noureppe''” persists on old maps.

History

Prehistory

The Baïgorry Valley, one of four key passages through the western Pyrenees, was frequented as early as the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

period. Numerous megaliths and dolmens dot the landscape, evidencing prehistoric settlement. Natural pigments, like hematite and

limonite Limonite () is an iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as , although this is not entirely accurate as the ratio of oxide to hydroxide can vary qu ...

used to adorn the

Isturitz and Oxocelhaya caves The Isturitz and Oxocelhaya caves (French: Grottes d'Isturitz et d'Oxocelhaya) are an important Paleolithic site where a Neanderthal mandible was found, as well as later modern human finds associated with the Aurignacian, Solutrean and Magdalenian. ...

during this era, were likely sourced from the Aldudes Valley. Atop Ardaza, within the modern commune of Banca, stand two tunnel-shaped monuments with broken barrel vaults. These structures—3 meters (9.8 ft) high and 8 meters (26 ft) long—rest on the sites of two

cromlech A cromlech (sometimes also spelled "cromleh" or "cromlêh"; cf Welsh ''crom'', "bent"; ''llech'', "slate") is a megalithic construction made of large stone blocks. The word applies to two different megalithic forms in English, the first being a ...

s. Their age and purpose remain undetermined.

Protohistory and Antiquity

Analysis of the Quinto Real peat bog in the Aldudes Valley has shed light on its ancient past. Lead pollution traces suggest metallurgical activity, while pollen records indicate a surge in pastoral practices between 1750 and 1500–1350 BCE, during the

Middle Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. The valley’s copper deposits appear to have been exploited by the Romans.

Middle Ages

The Baïgorry Valley weathered the upheavals of Lower Navarre’s formation, a term coined to distinguish it from peninsular Navarre. In medieval times, Lower Navarre was known as ''tierras de ultra-puertos'' or ''aillent puertos'' (“lands beyond the passes”), and from the 16th century as the ''sexto merindad'' (“sixth district”). This province emerged through annexations aimed at securing the Bayonne river basin. Between 1022 and 1120, under the influence of

Sancho the Great Sancho Garcés III ( 992–996 – 18 October 1035), also known as Sancho the Great (, ), was the King of Pamplona from 1004 until his death in 1035. He also ruled the County of Aragon and by marriage the counties of Castile, Álava and Monzón. ...

, the Baïgorry region—alongside Cize, Ossès, Arberoue, and

Irissarry Irissarry (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department ...

—fell under Navarrese control, overlapping with parts of Labourd. Early in the 11th century, Sancho elevated the valley to a viscounty for an ally; until the French Revolution, 23 viscounts succeeded one another, later bearing the title Viscount of Etxauz. From 1194, the Baïgorry region answered to the captain-castellan of

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John

Foot of hePass"; ; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean f ...

, the Navarrese king’s ''ultra-puertos'' representative for administration, finance, and military affairs. Civil and criminal jurisdiction initially fell to the Navarre Chancery. While no records detail the Baïgorry General Court’s operations, Eugène Goyheneche suggests it mirrored the Arberoue General Court, comprising twenty members led by the parish’s chief magistrate. Nobles could attend but not vote, while house masters (''etxeko jaun'') were required to participate. Eleven jurors, one from each parish, convened in Berrogain to draft the court’s agenda, which parish assemblies (''biltzar'') debated and voted on beforehand. Religiously, the valley belonged to the Bishopric of Bayonne, represented by the Cize archdeacon. The “ lineage wars” between Navarre and

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...

rippled into Lower Navarre. In 1258, an ''hermandad''—a militia uniting forces from Cize, Baïgorry, Ossès, and Armendarits—formed. These ''hermandades'' or ''armandats'', armed popular groups with police powers, operated under royal authority.

Early Modern Period

The valley’s strategic position between France and Spain made it a contested prize, with control of the Berdaritz Pass key to dominating this route. From 1763, the valley’s push for

Third Estate The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...

autonomy—stripping nobles of voting rights in parish assemblies—sparked conflict with the Viscounts of Echauz. Led by Marthe de Saint-Martin d’Etchaux, the viscounts sought to usurp the Baïgorry viscounty title and impose feudal dues. In 1771, she secured hunting and high justice rights from the king, later repurchased by the valley. In 1773, she demanded church precedence rights, leading to the conviction of four Baigorriar residents. By 1784, the Echauz viscounts challenged established hunting and arms privileges, but the Royal Council ruled in favor of the Baigorriar.

French Revolution and Empire

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

’s execution on January 21, 1793, heightened tensions between France and Spain. On March 7, the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

declared war on Charles IV. In early June 1793, Spanish forces seized the Baïgorry Valley, with General Ventura Caro establishing headquarters at Château-Pignon in Banca, despite resistance from four French free companies led by valley native Jean Isidore Harispe, alongside Iriart, Lassale-Cezeau, and Berindoaque. These units formed the core of the Army of the Western Pyrenees, officially constituted on April 30, 1793, under General Servan. On June 3, 1794, a battalion of Basque chasseurs—free companies under Harispe, who assumed command after General Lavictoire’s fatal wounding—and General-in-Chief Muller reclaimed the valley. Defenders numbered either 300 ''émigrés'' from the Royal Pyrenees Legion, led by Lieutenant-General Marquis de Saint-Simon, or 300 “''Aldudian chasseurs'',” per differing accounts. On July 24, reorganized French forces, exploiting Spanish exhaustion, saw Moncey capture Baztan and Delaborde Seize Vera de Bidassoa, near the valley. The Basque chasseurs’ effectiveness in this mobile,

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

-driven conflict stemmed from fighting on familiar terrain. Initially volunteer units electing their leaders, they rallied around a Baigorriar core, channeling resentment against the Erro Valley over disputed Pays Quint pastures. In 1856 and 1857,

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

and Spain’s

Isabella II Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

negotiated the , redefining the Franco-Spanish border. Article 7 states: “At Pertolé, the oundaryline will bend westward toward Mendimocha’s summit, then ascend southward along the ridges separating Valcarlos from the Baïgorry Valley to Lindus-balsacoa. From there, it reaches Lindusmunua, proceeds straight to Isterbeguy peak, then by another straight line to Beorbuzustan, continuing along the ridges to the Col d’Ispeguy.” This remains the local border definition today.

Contemporary Era

Mass emigration from the valley to the Americas marked the 19th century, persisting into the 1960s. This exodus depleted conscription pools, with the Baïgorry and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port cantons with big

desertion Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...

rates. Authorities noted the Basques’ “high colonizing value.” For instance,

Paul Laxalt Paul Dominique Laxalt ( ; August 2, 1922 – August 6, 2018) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 22nd governor of Nevada from 1967 to 1971 and a United States senator representing Nevada from 1974 until 1987. A member ...

’s mother, a key advisor to

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

, hailed from Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry.

The Pays Quint – Middle Ages to Contemporary Era

The Pays Quint—known as ''Quint Royal'', ''Kintoa'', or ''Quinto Real'' after the Navarrese king’s livestock tax—was governed by a facerie between the Baïgorry Valley and the Erro, Valcarlos, and Baztan valleys. In the Middle Ages, this Navarrese territory stretched north to Saint-Étienne parish. Population growth in the 17th and 18th centuries drove younger siblings southward, intensified by Banca’s forge operations, shrinking shared forests and

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

s. This sparked violent clashes with the Erro Valley. The 1614 Arnéguy royal capitulations, building on earlier faceries, aimed to halt hostilities. Signed by French representatives under the Bishop of Bayonne and Spanish-Navarrese delegates, it set a provisional border, curbing conflicts over deforestation and pasture use while banning new land occupation. Persistent tensions prompted the 1785 Treaty of Limits, or Elizondo Treaty, drafted by France’s François-Marie d’Ornano and Spain’s Ventura Caro after surveying the Aldudes-Valcarlos border. Signed on August 27, 1785, and effective January 1, 1786, it was ratified on March 21, 1786, at the Palacio del Pardo. It redefined lies and passeries—rights granted by custom or agreement to neighboring landowners and shepherds—ceding Ondarole and its iron mine to Spain and granting Baïgorry ownership of Urepel, Esnazu, and parts of Banca and Aldudes. Protests from Cize (over Ondarole and Iraty Forest parcels) and Baigorriar (over prime pastures) led to abandoning contested terms. Ondarole remained French under Cize but joined the Bishopric of Pamplona. Subsequent annexes in the 19th century refined the Treaty of Limits, notably the December 2, 1856, treaty, December 28, 1858, annex, and May 26, 1866, act. Article 15 of the 1856 treaty split the Aldudes’ slopes: Baïgorry gained “exclusive and perpetual enjoyment” of northern pastures for an annual 8,000-franc lease (adjusted to 344,000 francs for 1988–1990) and, for 15 years, shared southern summer pastures with Spain.

Politics and administration

The border

The Baïgorry Valley Syndical Commission was established by imperial decree in 1838. It oversees the undivided lands of the valley’s eight communes, spanning 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres), plus 2,500 hectares (6,200 acres) in the Navarrese valleys of Erro and Baztan, collectively known as the Pays Quint. These “syndical” lands host transhumance for six months annually, supporting the herds of approximately 250 valley breeders. In the 2000s, this included nearly 50,000 sheep, 1,100 cattle, 350 goats, and 550 horses. The commission has spearheaded pastoral improvements, including installing watering troughs, clearing and enhancing land via

controlled burning A controlled burn or prescribed burn (Rx burn) is the practice of intentionally setting a fire to change the assemblage of vegetation and decaying material in a landscape. The purpose could be for forest management, ecological restoration, ...

, and upgrading shepherds’ cabins to meet modern standards. Alongside the Cize Syndical Commission and the Garazi-Baigorri Community of Communes, the Baïgorry Valley Syndical Commission joined the Lindux-Orreaga cross-border cooperation agreement, signed in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry on July 21, 2005. This pact unites 15 municipalities from Spain’s Navarre Foral Community and 30 from France’s Pyrénées-Atlantiques department—all once part of the historic

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...

—to “promote cross-border intermunicipal cooperation.” Its scope includes local economies (agriculture, forestry, commerce, crafts, and tourism), cultural heritage (sports and language education), and natural heritage (environment, hunting, and fishing).

The Valley community

Since the late 1990s, the Association of Merchants, Farmers, and Artisans of the Aldudes Valley (ACVA)—now AIBA (''Aldudeko Ibarra Beti Aintzina'', “Aldudes Valley Always Moving Forward”)—has worked to foster “sustainable development” in the valley. To showcase its achievements and spark discussion, AIBA hosts biennial themed open-door events: “Aldudes 2030” in 2012, cross-border issues in 2014, and territorial attractiveness in 2016. Beyond these, AIBA focuses on two priorities: demographics and mobility. For the former, it conducted a vacant housing census and surveyed property ownership needs; for the latter, partnering with the (CGET) and the (Cerema), it assesses shared transport needs like

carpooling Carpooling is the sharing of car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather ...

or a shuttle service.

Economy

Mining

Mining and metallurgical sites in the Baïgorry Valley date back to antiquity. A 1991 dating campaign, combined with Gilles Parent’s topographic survey of Banca’s mines and Pierre Machot’s archival research, provided a scientific overview of known sites. While black powder traces confirm early modern exploitation, visual dating techniques—such as attributing gallery shapes to specific eras—proved unreliable. Oil lamp notches typify antiquity, but their absence isn’t conclusive. Similarly, evidence of

fire-setting Fire-setting is a method of traditional mining used most commonly from prehistoric times up to the Middle Ages. Fires were set against a rock face to heat the stone, which was then doused with liquid, causing the stone to fracture by thermal s ...

chisel A chisel is a hand tool with a characteristic Wedge, wedge-shaped cutting edge on the end of its blade. A chisel is useful for carving or cutting a hard material such as woodworking, wood, lapidary, stone, or metalworking, metal. Using a chi ...

use spans multiple periods, persisting long after explosives entered mining. The valley has about twenty documented mining sites, many exploited since antiquity.

Antiquity

The Ustelegi mining and metallurgical site in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry supplied ore to the Etchauz forge from the mid-17th century to the 1780s, the Banca blast furnace in the early 19th century, and again from the early 19th century until

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Its significance—marked by ten

slag heaps The general term slag may be a by-product or co-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and recycled metals depending on the type of material being produced. Slag is mainly a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Broadly, it can be cl ...

from the late

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

to the first centuries CE (specifically 2nd century BCE to 4th century CE)—was recognized in the early 2000s. The Jara copper mine, in the valley’s north, yielded siderite-free chalcopyrite exploited around the start of the Common Era (200 BCE to 200 CE). Studies in 2005 couldn’t determine whether underground workings were dug by indigenous peoples or Romans. The nearby Monhoa copper deposit, also northern, dates to the early 2nd century BCE. Lacking lamp niches typical of Roman techniques, it features two levels over 10 meters (33 ft) apart, linked by a gallery along a steeply inclined vein. Its lower section was briefly reused in the 18th century, showing signs of fire-setting. The Aintziaga site, on the ridge dividing Baïgorry and Baztan valleys, likely from the early 1st millennium CE, suggests systematic Roman prospecting, given its distance from Banca’s main mines. Northwest, in Baztan, the Antestegui mine spans two levels 15 meters (49 ft) apart, reactivated around 1735 by German engineers from Baïgorry’s mines, building on Roman foundations. The Hayra (or Teilary) site, northwest of Teilary Pass between 790 and 890 meters (2,590–2,920 ft) altitude near the Hayra stream’s confluence with the Nive des Aldudes, also dates to antiquity. Records from 1740 note Beugnière de la Tour, Banca smelter manager, targeting its silver-bearing galena. Late 1970s studies identified lead,

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

, silver, sphalerite, copper, and giobertite. Gilles Parent posits that the Mehatze Pass site, at 1,200 meters (3,940 ft), also saw ancient exploitation.

Early Modern Period

In 2003, a talweg in the Pays Quint uncovered metallurgical slag, hinting at a 16th-century itinerant metallurgy, contemporary with the 250-year-old Navarrese hydraulic forges of Eugui, Valcarlos, and Aezkoa. At Banca’s northern entrance, remnants of a metallurgical site with a

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

persist. A canal above, fed by upstream Nive waters, powers a wheel and bellows, injecting air via two nozzles into the furnace base. An adjacent building, also under the canal, houses forge fires and hammers to convert pig iron into wrought iron, plus a slitting mill for bar production. Copper mining, attributed to Roman origins, began industrial operations in 1555, followed by iron extraction and processing in 1647. In April 1640,

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

granted the Viscount of Etchauz—also known as Eschaud, Echaux, or des Chaux, from

Bertrand d'Eschaud Bertrand d'Eschaud, d'Echaux, Etchauz, or des Chaux (1556 or 1557, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry - 21 May 1641) was a French cleric and politician. He was bishop of Bayonne (1599-1617), then archbishop of Tours (1617-1641). Order of the Holy Spirit, ...

’s family and Béarn’s seneschal—permission to “exploit iron mines and build a forge to smelt iron.” The Etchauz forge operated for over a century; a blast furnace, built late 17th century by

Marquis de Louvois A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

, Louis XIV’s Secretary of State for War, supplied cannons to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and private firms by the mid-18th century. It ceased in 1785. Copper mining resumed in 1741 under Swiss businessman Laurent Beugnière de la Tour, naming the vein with three branches the “Three Kings Vein.” Both copper and iron processing consumed vast timber, devastating forests. A deal with the valley for iron mining timber forced copper operations to halt in 1767. Banca’s mining peak, on Astoekoria’s slopes, occurred under

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

in 1756, employing 389 workers—including 13 German technicians—and yielding up to 120 tons (130 tons) of copper annually. Silver-bearing copper from Ossès was also processed here. Activity waned during the Revolution; a June 27, 1793, fire—ignited by 400 valley residents led by refractory priest Inda—destroyed the facility. Iron forging stopped in 1786, and copper operations ceased in 1816—despite shafts reaching 110 meters (360 ft)—with the Baïgorry Mining Company’s collapse. In 1825, a steel blast furnace rose on the site, using Ustelegi iron ore, supplying cannons and shot to the navy, hauled by road to Cambo, and then via the

to Bayonne. Active from 1826 to 1828, its 9-meter (30 ft) crucible produced over 4 tons (4.4 tons) of pig iron daily and 1,000 tons (1,100 tons) annually, yielding 600 tons (660 tons) of refined iron. Copper mining resumed mid-19th century, lasting until 1894, with ore shipped to

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, Wales, as local processing lagged—using the outdated Biscayan crucible (two-month process) until the Foix crucible arrived in 1750. The company folded in 1861, ending the valley’s steel industry. In 1863, the Saint-Étienne-based bank Girard, Nicolas et Compagnie bought the site and concession, targeting copper and silver. Ore—two-thirds chalcopyrite, one-third silver-bearing gray copper—peaked in 1870 at 100 tons (110 tons) sent to Swansea, with silver at 9 kg (20 lb) per ton (1%) and copper at 9–17%. Output fell after 1878, stopping in 1893. From 1908–1910, the Ossès and Banca Mining Company attempted to dewater the Three Kings Vein shaft, halting at 42 meters (138 ft) due to pump limits. Later probes, from the 1940s to 1978 by Georges Vié and Penarroya, found rich but discontinuous deposits, rendering mining uneconomical.

Contemporary economy

Since the late 20th century, the valley’s agriculture, dubbed “Basque mountain,” has centered on livestock and mixed farming. Raising Basque Black Pied pigs has surged, revitalized by the French Pork Institute (ITP). The Belaun cooperative, named for a pass linking Baztan and Aldudes valleys, was launched in 2010 to support young farmers and promote local products from valley resources. By the early 21st century, the valley’s sheep flock was the department’s largest, falling within the

Ossau-Iraty Ossau-Iraty () is a Basque cheese made from sheep's 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 Béarn ...

AOC zone. The Hor Dago dairy, the valley’s sole cheese producer in 2013, opened in Urepel in November 2013. Onetik collects

raw milk Raw milk or unpasteurized milk is milk that has not undergone pasteurization, a process of heating liquid foods to kill pathogens for safe consumption and extension of shelf life. Proponents of raw milk have alleged numerous purported benefits t ...

from upper Aldudes valley breeders to craft Bleu des Basques. Cattle farming, with about 6,500 head in 2002, focuses on meat production. Collective lands, managed by the Baïgorry Valley Syndical Commission since 1838, cover a third of the canton’s 31,000 hectares (77,000 acres)—10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) in total. Aldudes hosts ''Ets Pierre Oteiza'', an artisanal charcuterie ranked among the department’s top 50 food businesses in 2015. A fish farm operates along the Urepel road. Parts of the valley (Anhaux, Ascarat, Irouléguy, Lasse, and Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry) lie within the

Irouléguy AOC Irouléguy AOC wines (; , ) come from Lower Navarre in the Northern Basque Country, France and are usually considered as part of the wine region of South West France (''Sud-Ouest''). They are named after the village of Irouléguy and are the only ...

wine region, certified since 1970. In the 13th century, Augustinian monks from

cultivated a vast vineyard here, terracing the Arradoy and Jara slopes to supply wine to

Camino Francés The French Way (, , ) follows the GR 65 and is the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James (), the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. It runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of th ...

pilgrims en route to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

Local culture and heritage

Sites and monuments

The Baïgorry Valley is home to several landmarks listed in France’s Inventory of Historical Monuments. Numerous objects are also cataloged in the same inventory. These protected sites and artifacts span the valley’s rich history, from the prehistoric Artxuita Dolmens and Arrondo Dolmen in Irouléguy to the Banca copper mines and the Lindus redoubt, built in 1813–1814 during the waning

Spanish War of Independence The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. Other treasures include Anhaux’s historic homes—Jauregia (14th–17th centuries), Laxaga (15th–17th centuries), and Eiherartia farm (1730)—Irouléguy’s discoidal steles, and the churches and chapels gracing each village. The current , with sections dating to the 16th century, served as the seat of the Baïgorry fief, established in 1033 by Sancho the Great.

Natural heritage

The village of Aldudes and Esnazu hamlet are designated natural monuments under a decree dated March 17, 1943. The “park, château, and old bridge over the Nive” ensemble in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry has been listed since August 8, 1944, while the Hurdos hamlet gained protected status on October 26, 1945.

Recognized natural areas

The

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) dubbed “Aldudes Valley and Massif, Lindux Pass” spans 71% of Aldudes, 49% of Banca, 57% of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, and 60% of Urepel. It hosts nesting Black Woodpeckers (''Dryocopus martius'') and White-backed Woodpeckers (''Dendrocopos leucotos''). Beyond thousands of wood pigeons (''Columba palumbus'') in late summer, the area shelters raptors like the

Red Kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other Diurnality, diurnal Bird of prey, raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harrier (bird), harriers. The species currently breeds only i ...

(''Milvus milvus''),

Western Marsh Harrier The western marsh harrier (''Circus aeruginosus'') is a large harrier (bird), harrier, a bird of prey from temperate and subtropical western Palearctic, Eurasia and adjacent Africa. It is also known as the Eurasian marsh harrier. Formerly, a numb ...

(''Circus aeruginosus''),

Hen Harrier The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Palearctic, Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It bird migration, migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian ...

(''Circus cyaneus''),

Montagu's Harrier Montagu's harrier (''Circus pygargus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu. Taxonomy The first formal description of Montagu's harrier was by the Swedish nat ...

(''Circus pygargus''), and

Common Buzzard The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. It is a member of the genus '' Buteo'' in the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across much of ...

(''Buteo buteo''). The

Black Stork The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, t ...

(''Ciconia nigra'') is also recorded. File:Ciconia nigra -Kruger National Park-8.jpg, alt=Two black storks with red beaks and legs walking on the ground File:Black Woodpecker.JPG, Wood Pigeon. File:Black Woodpecker.JPG,

Black woodpecker The black woodpecker (''Dryocopus martius'') is a large woodpecker that lives in mature forests across the northern Palearctic. It is the sole representative of its genus in that region. Its range is expanding. The black woodpecker is easily the ...

. File:Weißrückenspecht in den Chiemgauer Alpen.JPG,

White-backed woodpecker The white-backed woodpecker (''Dendrocopos leucotos'') is a Eurasian woodpecker belonging to the genus ''Dendrocopos''. Taxonomy The white-backed woodpecker was described by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1802 under the b ...

. File:Milvus milvus Jura.jpg,

Red kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other Diurnality, diurnal Bird of prey, raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harrier (bird), harriers. The species currently breeds only i ...

. File:Circus pygargus juvenile flight.jpg,

. File:Marsh Harrier Male (cropped).jpg,

Marsh harrier The marsh harriers are bird of prey, birds of prey of the harrier (bird), harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized Bird of prey, raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds. ...

. File:Common Wood Pigeon.jpg, Wood pigeon. Parts of the valley are classified as a Type I

Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique A Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique (Natural area of ecological, faunal and floristic interest), abbreviated as ZNIEFF, is a type of natural environment recognized by France. The inventory of a ZNIEFF area is an i ...

(ZNIEFF),Type I ZNIEFFs are ecologically uniform areas hosting at least one rare or threatened species or habitat of local, regional, national, or European significance. named “Peatlands of Elhorrieta and Elhorriko Kaskoa.” This 13-hectare (32-acre) ecosystem, between 660 and 860 meters (2,165–2,820 ft) altitude, is protected under the January 9, 1985, Mountain Law and the EU’s

Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The ...

92/43/EEC, safeguarding natural habitats, fauna, and flora. The ZNIEFF highlights dual ecological values: heritage and function. Floristically, the peatland harbors ten

sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...

species, three exceedingly rare, including '' Sphagnum fallax'', '' Sphagnum molle'', and '' Sphagnum quinquefarium'', alongside St Dabeoc's Heath ('' Daboecia cantabrica''), Round-leaved sundew (''Drosera rotundifolia''), and

Bog Asphodel ''Narthecium ossifragum'', commonly known as bog asphodel, Lancashire asphodel or bastard asphodel, is a species of flowering plant in the family Nartheciaceae. It is native to Western Europe, found on wet, boggy moorlands up to about in eleva ...

(''Narthecium ossifragum''), per a 1993 survey. Functionally, it regulates water flow and curbs soil erosion. File:Drosera rotundifolia - Росянка в НПП "Слобожанский".jpg, alt=Close-up of a green and pink carnivorous plant File:SphagnumFallax.jpg,

File:SphagnumFallax.jpg, '' Sphagnum fallax'' File:Frucht Moorlilie.jpg, Marsh Narthecia.

Notable figures linked to the Baïgorry Valley

* Georges Lacombe (January 31, 1879, Orthez – July 1947, Paris) was a French

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

, Basque scholar, and academic fluent in

and French. On the eve of

, he collaborated with Jean Etchepare on a doctorate in Letters focusing on the Aldudes

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

. *

(1556 or 1557, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry – 1641) was a prelate, serving as

Bishop of Bayonne The Diocese of Bayonne, Lescar, and Oloron, commonly Diocese of Bayonne, (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baionensis, Lascurrensis et Oloronensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayonne, Lescar et Oloron''; Basque: ''Baionako, Leskarreko eta Oloroeko elizbarrutia'') ...

(1599–1617),

Archbishop of Tours The Archdiocese of Tours (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd century, while the formal erection of the diocese dates from the 5th century. The ecclesiastical pro ...

(1617–1641), Knight-Commander of the Holy Spirit, and chief almoner to Kings Henry IV (a relative) and

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

. * Manex Souhorcoa (d. 1784, Banca) was a pelota player whose tombstone is preserved at the Basque Museum and History of Bayonne. * Jean Isidore Harispe (1568, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry – 1855, Lacarre) was a military leader and politician, elevated to

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

on December 11, 1851, by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, and later a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

under the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

. * Inda, nicknamed ''Perkain'' (late 18th century, Aldudes), was a renowned pelota player whose fame and a 1793 incident inspired the opera ''Perkain le Basque'', a lyric drama by

Pierre-Barthélemy Gheusi Pierre-Barthélemy Gheusi, also known by the pseudonym Norbert Lorédan, (21 November 1865 – 30 January 1943) was a French theatre director, librettist, journalist and writer. He was born in Toulouse and died in Paris. Biography A son of a ba ...

and Jean Poueigh. * Jean Iraçabal (1851, Anhaux – 1929, buried in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry) was a French military officer. * Michel Olçomendy (1901, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry – 1977, Singapore) became the first Archbishop of

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

in 1972. * Pierre Narbaitz (1910, Ascarat – 1984, Cambo-les-Bains) was a French Basque historian, writer, and academic proficient in Basque and French. * Fernando Aire Etxart, known as Xalbador (June 19, 1920 – November 7, 1976, Urepel), was a celebrated

bertsolari Bertsolaritza or bertsolarism is the art of singing improvised songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns. Bertsos can be composed at a variety of occasions but are performed generally by one or various ''bertsolaris'' ...

. * Philippe Bidart (b. 1953, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry) is a historic leader of the Basque revolutionary group

Iparretarrak Iparretarrak (meaning "''the Northerners''" in Basque), commonly known as IK, was a Basque nationalist paramilitary organization operating in the French Basque Country, founded in 1973 by Philippe Bidart and other Basque activists. 1982 was th ...

. *

Pascal Mazzotti Pasquale "Pascal" Mazzotti (16 December 1923 in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry – 19 June 2002 in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône) was a French actor who has appeared in film, television, and theater. He is known for having played a role in '' Hibernatus' ...

(1923, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry – 2002, Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône) was a French actor. * Jean Haritschelhar (1923, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry – 2013, Biarritz) was a Basque scholar, politician, literature researcher, and academic, who served as mayor of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry from 1971 to 1980.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* – Pierre Bidart holds a doctorate in humanities and is a professor of anthropology at the

University of Bordeaux II A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. * –

Jean de Charpentier Jean de Charpentier or Johann von Charpentier (8 December 1786 – 12 December 1855) was a German-Swiss geologist who studied Swiss glaciers. He was born in Freiberg, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire and died in Bex, Switzerland. Life ...

(Johann G. F. von Charpentier), a German-Swiss geologist, directed the Vaud canton mines. His father, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Toussaint von Charpentier, engineered Pyrenean copper mines. * – Carlos Fernández de Casadevante Romani is a professor of

public international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid. Daniel Bardonnet is secretary-general of the

Hague Academy of International Law The Hague Academy of International Law () is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Courses are taught in English and French and, except for External ...

. * – Eugène Goyheneche was a Basque

abertzale ''Abertzale'' (; English: "patriot", literally "fond of the fatherland") is a Basque term usually referring to people or political groups who are associated with Basque nationalism. Although the term is a synonym of "patriot", its common use in ...

, historian, and archivist-paleographer. * – Jean Haritschelhar is an emeritus professor at the

University of Bordeaux III Bordeaux Montaigne University (, ; formerly ''Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3'') is a public university in Pessac, France, approximately 8 kilometres (5 miles) southwest of the city centre of Bordeaux. It forms part of the ComUE d'A ...

and president of the Basque Language Academy. * – Pierre Machot is an agrégé professor and history doctorate. Gilles Parent, a geologist and speleologist, is part of the Eusko Arkeologia association. * – Jean-Baptiste Orpustan is an emeritus professor at the University of Bordeaux-Montaigne. * * – Joaquin Salzedo Izu is a professor of legal history at the

University of Navarre The University of Navarra is a private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of '' Opus Dei'', as a corporate ...

. * – Philippe Veyrin was a painter, historian, and Basque scholar. * – Georges Viers (1910–1998) was a geographer, emeritus professor at the

University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès ( , formerly known as ''Université de Toulouse-Le Mirail'' , also called Toulouse II or UT2J) is a French public university located in Toulouse, France. It is one of the 3 successor universities of the Univers ...

, and director of its Daniel Faucher Geography Institute. *

External links

* * {{Cite web , last=Etcheverry-Aintchart , first=Jean , title=La vallée de Baïgorry sous la Révolution , trans-title=The Baïgorry Valley During the Revolution , url=https://www.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/en/publications/la-vallee-de-baigorri-sous-la-revolution/art-7970/# , website=Euskomedia.org , access-date=October 7, 2015 , format=PDF , year=2003 Valleys of France Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrenees Rivers of France Wine regions of France