Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Old bridge over river Nive
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Administration
Country	France
Region	Aquitaine
Department	Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement	Bayonne
Canton	Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Intercommunality	Garazi-Baïgorri
Mayor	Alphonse Idiart (2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	159–320 m (522–1,050 ft) (avg. 180 m/590 ft)
Land area1	2.73 km2 (1.05 sq mi)
Population2	1,754  (2006)
- Density	642 /km2 (1,660 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	64485/ 64220
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 43°09′54″N 1°14′08″W / 43.165°N 1.23555555556°W / 43.165; -1.23555555556

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally meaning "Saint John at the foot of the mountain pass" in French) (Basque: Donibane Garazi) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothills.

It is the old capital of the traditional Basque province of Lower Navarre.

Geography

The town lies on the river Nive, 8 km (5.0 mi) from the Spanish border. It is essentially one main street with sandstone walls encircling.

Neighboring municipalities

• Saint-Jean-le-Vieux
• Ossès
• Baigorri
• Estérençuby
• Luzaide/Valcarlos (Spain)

History

Bridge at St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port, 1940
by Louis Dewis

The original town at nearby Saint-Jean-le-Vieux was razed to the ground in 1177 by the troops of Richard the Lionheart after a siege. The Kings of Navarre refounded the town on its present site shortly afterwards.

The town was once a part of the Spanish province of Navarre and the Basque language is still spoken on both sides of the border and they still share similar traditions.

The town has traditionally been an important point on the Way of St. James, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, as it stands at the base of the Roncevaux Pass across the Pyrenees. Pied-de-Port means 'foot of the pass' in Pyrenean French. The routes from Paris, Vézelay and Le Puy-en-Velay meet at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and it was the pilgrims' last stop before the arduous mountain crossing.

In 1998, the Porte St-Jacques (city gate) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as part of the sites along the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

Main sights

The cobbled rue de la Citadelle runs down hill and over the river from the fifteenth century Porte St-Jacques to the Porte d'Espagne by the bridge. From the bridge, there are views of the old houses with balconies overlooking the Nive. Many of the buildings are very old, of pink and grey schist, and retain distinctive features, including inscriptions over their doors. One, a bakery, lists the price of wheat in 1789.

A panorama view of St Jean as seen from the Citadelle in 2010.

The 14th century red schist Gothic church, Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont, stands by the Porte d'Espagne. The original was built by Sancho the Strong of Navarre to commemorate the 1212 Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa where Moorish dominance of Spain was undermined.

Above the town at the top of the hill is the citadel, remodelled by Vauban in the 17th century.

Outside the walls is a new town, with the Hôtel de Ville and a pelota fronton.

Economy

Traditional crafts and foods remain in the town, including Basque linen from the Inchauspé family since 1848. The town is now an important tourist centre for the Pyrenees and the French Basque country and there are shops, restaurants and hotels.

The Basque cuisine is one of the finest cuisines around. St Jean Pied de Port specialize in fromage de brebis or OssauIraty, sheeps cheese, local trout and pipérade, omelette with peppers & Bayonne ham.

Mondays see a large market, with sheep and cattle driven into the town. At 5pm, there is a communal game of bare-handed pelote at the fronton. There are large fairs four times a year.

Transportation

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is the terminus on the railway line from Bayonne through the French Basque Country, along the valley of the river Nive, with several services each day. It is 1 km from the centre of the town.

Notable people

• Bernard Etxepare (late 15th - mid 16th century), writer of first printed book in Basque.
• Juan Huarte de San Juan (c. 1530-1592), physician and psychologist was born there.
• Charles Floquet (1828–1896), born in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, French lawyer and statesman.
• Imanol Harinordoquy (born 1980), French international rugby union player, grew up in the town.

See also

• Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Official website (French)
• Tourist office website
• Webpage about the fortifications