St-Jean-Pied-de-Port
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Old bridge over river Nive
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 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
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Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
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| Coordinates: 43°09′54″N 1°14′08″W / 43.165°N 1.2356°WCoordinates: 43°09′54″N 1°14′08″W / 43.165°N 1.2356°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Pyrénées-Atlantiques | |
| Arrondissement | Bayonne | |
| Canton | Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port | |
| Intercommunality | Garazi-Baïgorri | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2001–2008) | Alphonse Idiart | |
| Area1 | 2.73 km2 (1.05 sq mi) | |
| Population (2006)2 | 1,754 | |
| • Density | 640/km2 (1,700/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 64485 /64220 | |
| Elevation | 159–320 m (522–1,050 ft) (avg. 180 m or 590 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John [at the] Foot of [the] Pass"; Basque: Donibane Garazi; Spanish: San Juan Pie de Puerto) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothills. The town is also the old capital of the traditional Basque province of Lower Navarre. This is also a starting point for the Camino Francés, the most popular option for travelling the Camino de Santiago.
The town lies on the river Nive, 8 km (5.0 mi) from the Spanish border, and it is the head town of the region of Cize (Garazi in Basque). It is made up essentially of one main street with sandstone walls encircling.
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 thereafter a town of the Kingdom of Navarre, and the seat of the sheriff of the Lower Navarre district ("merindad" of Ultrapuertos or Deça-Ports). It remained as such up to the period of the Spanish conquest (1512-1528) when King Henry II of Navarre decided to transfer the seat of the royal institutions to Saint Palais (Donapaleu) on safety grounds.
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Wikipedia