Somport

Somport
Pass as seen from Spain
Elevation	1,632 m (5,354 ft)
Traversed by	road
Location
Somport Location of Somport
Location	France /  Spain
Range	Pyrenees
Coordinates	42°47′37″N 00°32′45″W / 42.79361°N 0.54583°W / 42.79361; -0.54583Coordinates: 42°47′37″N 00°32′45″W / 42.79361°N 0.54583°W / 42.79361; -0.54583

Somport (Catalan pronunciation: [sumˈpɔrt], locally: [somˈpɔɾt] known also as Aspe Pass and Canfranc Pass) (el. 1632 m.) is a mountain pass in the central Pyrenees on the border of France and Spain. The pass, whose name is derived from the Latin Summus portus, was one of the most popular routes for crossing the mountains for soldiers, merchants, and St. James pilgrims taking the route from Arles from the city of Oloron-Sainte-Marie in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département down into Aragon.

Military history

There is recorded evidence of both the Vandals and the Visigothic invaders having used the relatively facile entrance to Spain from France in the fourth and fifth centuries, respectively. The Roman road constructed here, known as the Via Tolosana, was also used by Muslim invaders in the eighth century in their futile attempt to conquer France. The pass was fortified in the 16th century by the Habsburgs in fear of French invasion, which however would not occur until the Peninsular War and the arrival of Napoleon's general Louis Gabriel Suchet in 1808. He was later followed by Colonel Leonard Morin who records in his Memoirs of the 5th Regiment (1812–13) both the danger of the pass and the horrible existence of the population of Canfranc. The French would leave by the same road after their defeat by General Francisco Espoz y Mina in 1814.

Pilgrimage history

This was arguably the most popular Pyrenaic pass for pilgrims on the Way of St. James until the pacification of Navarran and Basque bandits in the 12th century made the relatively easier Roncesvalles road safer for pilgrims. There is little of interest at the pass, except for the modern Ermita del Pilar (1992) and of course the natural beauty of the mountains. From this point to Santiago de Compostela it is approximately 840 km.

Modern history

A railway line linking Canfranc, Spain with Pau, France opened to traffic in 1928 but was closed due to a freight-train accident 27 March 1970. More recently the 8.6 km-long Somport Tunnel under the Pyrenees was opened on 7 February 2003 with a cost of nearly 160 million euros for the Spanish side and approximately 91.5 million euros for the French.

The building of the tunnel was somewhat controversial, particularly in France, with those opposing it claiming that it would effectively destroy the natural beauty of the Aspe Valley (Vallée d'Aspe). They wished instead for the reopening of the Pau-Canfranc rail line. A group of protesters permanently squatted at the abandoned railway station near Cette-Eygun, at the foot of the pass on the French side. Among them was the charismatic Eric Petitin, who had waged a protracted legal campaign against the authorities, causing delay in the tunnel's construction. By 1998 protesters were resorting to non-violent direct action, when construction was well under way. Their mascot was the rare Pyrenean Brown Bear, allegedly still to be found in the valley, but close to extinction, and further threatened by the tunnel project. The last protesters were finally evicted in October 2005, some 20 years after campaigning against the tunnel had begun.

French deputy Jean Lassalle made headlines on 3 June 2003 when he interrupted the French National Assembly by singing the "love song" Se Canto, protesting against Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement of the moving of 23 gendarmes guarding the Somport Tunnel to the town of Oloron-Sainte-Marie from neighbouring Urdos where their wives would probably be bored. Lassalle viewed this as offensive to the residents of Urdos.

Sports

There is a cross-country ski trail that goes 35 km around the pass, shared by Spain and France. Part of the route belongs to the Spanish ski resort of Candanchú.

See also

• List of highest paved roads in Europe
• List of mountain passes

References

Preceded by (The Arles Way)

The Aragonese Way of the Way of St. James

Succeeded by Canfranc