Saint-Jean-le-Vieux (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)

Saint-Jean-le-Vieux Donazaharre
region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement	Bayonne
Canton	Montagne Basque
Community association	Pays Basque
Coordinates	43 ° 10 ′  N , 1 ° 12 ′  W Coordinates: 43 ° 10 ′  N , 1 ° 12 ′  W
height	171-500 m
surface	11.64 km 2
Residents	849 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	73 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	64220
INSEE code	64484
Saint-Pierre d'Usakoa church and town hall

Saint-Jean-le-Vieux ( Basque Donazaharre ) is a French municipality with 849 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine . The long-distance hiking trail GR 65 , which largely follows the historical course of the French Way of St. James, Via Podiensis , leads through town .

geography

Saint-Jean-le-Vieux is located at the foot of the Pyrenees , in the extreme southwest of France and is part of the French Basque Country . The place is located on the river Laurhibar , a tributary of the Nive . The next town is Bayonne , which can be reached in a north-westerly direction via the D22 after about 55 kilometers of road. The closest major French cities are Toulouse (218 km) to the east and Bordeaux (192 km) to the north.

history

The name Saint-Jean-le-Vieux developed from the forms Sant-Juan-el-Viejo (1479), San-Juan-lo-Bielh (1513) S-Iean le Vieux (1650) and Sanctus-Petrus de Saint- Jean-le-Vieux (1685).

In Roman times, Saint-Jean-le-Vieux was a station under the name Imus Pyrenaeus at the foot of the Pyrenees, on the road from Bordeaux via Pamplona to Astorga . It is mentioned in the Itinerarium Antonini directory as well as on maps from the year 211. The route via Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port only emerged later. In excavations, remains of Roman buildings, coins and other finds were uncovered. Before the 13th century, Saint-Jean-le-Vieux was home to the largest hospice on the way to Santiago de Compostela . The chapel of Saint-Blaise-d'Apat ospitalea was the abbey of the hospice, which was run by the Order of St. John .

Before the French Revolution , the place belonged to the area of ​​the Pays de Cize in the Basque Country of Lower Navarre (French Basse-Navarre ), which included the French part of the former Kingdom of Navarre .

coat of arms

Description: Nine (3; 3; 3) red and white split balls in gold .

Number of inhabitants
(source:)

year	1793	1800	1836	1866	1901	1936	1962	1982	1990	1999	2006
Residents	1,031	659	1,221	955	920	844	714	904	910	880	858
From 1962 official figures excluding residents with a second residence

Way of St. James ( Via Podiensis )

There are hardly any traces left of the numerous medieval pilgrimage institutions. Today Saint-Jean-le-Vieux offers a stage hostel (French: Gîte d'étape ), a hotel and private rooms (French: Chambre d'hôtes ) for pilgrims . The rest of the Way of St. James leads via La Magdeleine to the end point of Via Podiensis Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port , only four kilometers away , where the Camino Francés to Santiago de Compostela , with the climb into the Pyrenees, begins.

Culture, sights and economy

• Remains of the “Roman camp” and the Roman road from the first and second centuries.
• Harriet Castle from the late Middle Ages was formerly the headquarters of the hospice.
• The manor Château d'Irunberri dates from the 17th and 18th centuries.
• The Saint-Blaise chapel dates from the 12th century.
• The Saint-Pierre church . The portal from the 12th century is the only remaining part of the building from this period.
• In the cemetery there are two disc-shaped Basque steles from the 17th century.

Around 23% of the canton's population works in agriculture. The main focus of the agricultural products is cheese production and viticulture. The wine is marketed under the name Irouléguy (AOC).

literature

• Bettina Forst: French Way of St. James. From Le Puy-en-Velay to Roncesvalles. All stages - with variants and height profiles (= Rother hiking guide ). Bergverlag Rother, Munich (recte: Ottobrunn) 2007, ISBN 978-3-7633-4350-8 .
• Bert Teklenborg: Cycling along the Camino de Santiago. From the Rhine to the western end of Europe. (Cycling guide, route planner). 3rd, revised edition. Publishing House Tyrolia, Innsbruck 2007, ISBN 978-3-7022-2626-8 .

Web links

Commons : Saint-Jean-le-Vieux  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Along the Via Podiensis
• Saint-Jean-le-Vieux in the Base Mémoire des Ministère de la Culture (French)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Congregational information on annuaire-mairie.fr (French). Retrieved on January 21, 2010
2. ^ Saint-Jean-le-Vieux on Cassini.ehess.fr (French) Retrieved February 4, 2010
3. ↑ Entry No. 64484 in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
4. ↑ Entry No. 64484 in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
5. ↑ INSEE table EMP T8  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French) Retrieved February 11, 2010  
6. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Community information on www.quid.fr (French). Quid's online offering was discontinued in March 2010.

Way of St. James " Via Podiensis "

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