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Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Basque: Donibane Garazi) is a commune in the French département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It is the old capital of the traditional Basque province of Nafarroa Beherea (Basse-Navarre).
The original town at nearby St-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 has traditionally been an important point on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route, 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 met at St-Jean-Pied-de-Port and it was the pilgrims' last stop before the arduous mountain crossing.
The town lies on the river Nive and is essentially one main street with sandstone walls encircling. The cobbled rue de la Citadelle runs down hill and over the river from the 15th 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
The railway station is the terminus of a short line from Bayonne through the French Basque Country.
Nearest places
- Saint-Jean-le-Vieux
- Ossès
- Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry
- Esterençuby
- Valcarlos (Spain)
Transport links
St-Jean-Pied-de-Port is the terminus on the railway line from Bayonne along the valley of the river Nive with several services each day. It is 1km from the centre of the town.
Notable residents
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