Saint-Jean-Foot-of-Port

Saint-Jean-Foot-of-Port is a common French, located in the department of the Yrénées-Atlantiques and the area Aquitaine.

Its inhabitants is called the Saint-Jeannais in French and garaztar or Donibandar in Basque.

Saint-Jean-Foot-of-port owes its name with its situation with the foot of the port (or collar) of Roncevaux to the confluence of the three " nives" (rivers) of Arnéguy, Laurhibar and Béhorléguy.

Its current Basque name is Donibane Garazi , " Saint Jean de Garazi" (of the name of the tops of the following stage of the way of Compostelle) but it is more recent; the initial name was Spanish: " Santa Maria Cabo el Puente " , Sainte-Marie of the End of the Bridge.

Old political and administrative capital of Navarre of “Ultrapuertos” (i.e. of “In addition to-mounts”) it is today a center of exchanges and cultural activities and sporting Basque.

Geography

The common one belongs to the Pays of Cize.
It is crossed by the Nive ( Errobi in Basque) and its affluents, the Laurhibar and the Nive de Béhérobie.

Localities and variations

  • Uganga, Uguenaga in 1413/Ugange

Communes bordering

  • Ispoure in north
  • Saint-Jean-the-Old man and Çaro in the east
  • Saint-Michel in the south
  • Uhart-Cize in the west.

History

Foundation and development with the Middle Ages

It is about a “new city” built at the 12th century. “ the key of my kingdom ” will say two centuries later Charles the Bad which, for its subjects, was “the Good”. While developing, the city charms its primacy with Midsummer's Day the Old man and thus moved the traffic, of the Roman road by Urcullu with the layout by Roncevaux.

One of the first buildings of the city was the church Sainte Eulalie, high at the 12th century not far from the ford of the Nive; one can still see his Romance gate, preserved well, on the frontage of the old people's home Toki Eder, in the Ugange district. On the hill dominating the city, drew up the castle of Mendiguren, of which it is made mention as of 1191.
With the foot of the castle, Sanche VII the Fort, king of Navarre (1152 - king 1172 - 1221), nowadays built at the beginning of the 13th century a strengthened city, surrounded by ramparts to the ogival doors, still visible, as well as a church, included in the defensive system of the place. It was one of the main actors of the victory gained over the Almohades in 1212, with Las Navas de Tolosa. The chains represented on the weapons of Navarre perpetuate the memory of it: They evoke the famous capture of the treasure of the emir.
In 1329, Philippe III of Navarre (1328 - 1343) grants its fors to him, Charte S governing the administrative system progressist with which Navarre at the 11th century was equipped: it can organize in its walls, fairs and gone, and becomes an important shopping mall, stage obliged of the travellers and pilgrims of Compostelle on the road of Pampelune.
Kings de Navarre make frequent stays there and, made important, at the 15th century, the schismatic bishop of the pope of Avignon resides of 1383 at it at 1488, during the schism of Occident, while that of the pope of Rome reigned with Bayonne. (Jean Froissart was extremely astonished to see the prelates of two obediences joined together with Orthez with the same table, that of Gaston Phébus.)

Rebirth and modern Time

In 1512, Ferdinand the Catholic removes Navarre with its legitimate sovereigns, Jean and Catherine d' Albret, which take refuge in Béarn. The Spanish army crosses the Pyrenees and takes Midsummer's Day in August 1512. The pile cluster makes reinforce defenses of the castle as from September.

As of September, a French Army of help allows Jean III of Navarre to leave to the reconquest Navarre. Saint-Jean-Foot-of-port becomes an important issue in the conflict. The city passes with one hand to the other, not without undergoing important dommages.
Jean d' Albret besieges the city with 20  000 men in November 1512, without succeeding in taking it. The garrison passes then from 1000 to 1800 men, and the city swears fidelity with the king d' Aragon.
In 1516, Jean d' Albret seizes some again, but fails to take the citadel. Beaten in the processions of Roncevaux, he dies on June 17th.
A new seat is put in front of Saint-Jean-Foot-of-Port on May 12th, 1521 by his/her son Henri II of Navarre, which takes city and castle the 15, thanks to the assistance of a French Army. But this one is beaten with Noain on June 30th. The pile cluster makes take again the city, and the garrison perishes after a three week old seat. The Spaniards evacuate the garrison in 1522, before taking again the in January 1524 city during the invasion of the south of France. The bastard one of Albret again takes again the city in 1527 for king de Navarre, who preserves it only a few months.

In 1530, Charles Quint gives up this city in Foix-Albret-Navarre, which seems to him too expensive to preserve, and destroys the castle of it. The northern part of Navarre then becomes Low Navarre in opposition to High Navarre. This is why Henri IV, when it reaches the throne, is made call king de France and of Navarre, titrates that its successors carry until Charles X.

During the wars of religion, incidents burst between Protestants and catholics. The prohibition of the catholic worship by Jeanne d' Albreten 1567 causes the formation of a league in September, then a rising in March 1568. Refuge of the catholics, the city is taken by Montgomery Thursday of Ashes 1570. Two churches of the city are burnt. When the catholics raise themselves again, Henri III, at fifteen years, beats them and drives back them in Spain, before promising at Midsummer's Day not to impose the Protestant worship.

French revolution

In March 1789, joined together in Saint-Jean-Foot-of-Port, the States de Navarre, considering that Navarre is not a simple French province, refuse to send deputies to the General states. At a session in June, they send nevertheless four deputies, with the very strict mandates, of which the respect of their Fors. That remains vain: their privileges are abolished in the night of August 4th 1789. Low Navarre, with the two other provinces of North, is attached to the Béarn to form the department of the the Low-Pyrenees.
The law of March 4th, 1790, which determined a new administrative landscape of France by creating departments and districts, decided birth of the department of the Low-Pyrenees by joining together the Béarn, the Gascon grounds of Bayonne and Bidache, and the three French Basque provinces. For these last, three districts were created: Mauléon, Saint-Palate and Ustaritz, which replaced the baillage Labourd. By abuse of power of the local leaders, the head office of Ustaritz was transferred almost immediately to Bayonne. Its Directory encouraged a great number of municipalities to adopt new names in conformity with the spirit of the Revolution. Thus Saint-Jean-Foot-of-Port was called Nive-Frank, Ustaritz became Marat-on-Nive (according to Marat), Itxassou Union, Arbonne Constante, Saint-Etienne-with-Baïgorry Thermopyles (according to the Bataille of Thermopyles), Saint-Palate Mount-Bidouze, Louhossoa Mountain-on-Nive, Saint-Jean-with-Luz Chauvinistic-Dragon, Ainhoa Mendiarte and Souraïde Mendialde.
The wars of the Revolution and the Empire save the city. However in 1793, beginning of the war between the Convention and Spain, the Fortified town, renamed Nive-Frank, plays a big role in the defense of the territory, in particular with the Basque Chasseurs.

In 1813, the counter-attack of the Napoleonean armies ordered by Soult to try to deliver Pampelune, besieged by Wellington and its allies, starts from Saint-Jean-Foot-of-Port. It shows a failure, France is invaded. The Spanish general Miro is charged to make the remote seat of the city which goes only to Louis XVIII, after the abdication of Napoleon I {{er}}.
The railroad which arrives in 1889, disencloses the city but does not manage to stop the inexorable demographic decline of and 20th siècles.

Heraldic

Administration

Demography

Culture and inheritance

The Pilgrimage of Compostelle

On the Via Podiensis of the Pilgrimage of Saint-Jacques-to-Compostelle.
One comes from Saint-Jean-the-Old man, the next halt is the wearing of Cize, as called it Aimery Picaud. .

An approach ramp makes it possible to reach it. Western half-moon, the panorama opens on the city and the basin of Cize. Recently restored, the citadel provides an good example of the defensive system of the fortified towns bastionnées, ditches, flanked ramparts of bastions, Caponnière S, pieces of ordnance, bridges door frames, drawbridges and harrows, and equipped with specific installations of a place of mountain on a site exigu.
The fortress, occupied by a college, cannot be visited. Around the interior court and against the rampart, built above arched underground casemates, are tightened the barracks, the house of the governor and his vault, the explosives magazines and the well.

The City

One penetrates in the city by the Saint-Jacob door, open in the ramparts of the 15th century, improved in 1680 Vauban pennies by the Deville knight who builds the summit citadel.

New bridge, one can admire very with leisure the old houses bathing in Nive, with their wood balconies, the old Notre-Dame bridge and the buttresses of the church being detached on the curtain from the trees which covers the escarpée hill of the citadel.

the Notre-Dame Door. Curiously open in the bell-tower of the church, it gives on a side on the street of the Citadel, other on the Notre-Dame bridge. Its wood harrow and its impressive casements are well conservés.
Above the door a copy of the Virgin to the Child is brood who, at the time of the wars of religion, found refuge into High Navarre and was never restored.

the Notre-Dame Bridge. Also called Sainte-Marie bridge, this work was built on the ford which led to the church, known as " romain" , actually medieval and restored in 1634.

Street of the Citadel. The steep slope of the street of the Citadel, broadside of frontages out of pink sandstone, sometimes alternate of gray sandstone. The stones still draw the framings of the old gravers, tight the ones against the others and sheltered under the protective hoods. The engraved lintels of door raise, between decorative reasons, the name of the house, the date of its construction, the name of the first owners and sometimes even their profession. The attentive walker can read there the history of certain families of the ville.
To the n° 32, the Arcanzola house, gone back to 1510, is announced by its stage to wood sides and brick rubble filling in fish-bones.
Further, with the n° 33 the native house of Charles Floquet is.
With the n° 39, the house with corbelling known under the name of “house of the Bishops” lets appear a bearing hardcore in relief the date of 1584, indicating a rebuilding since the last of the three schismatic bishops of Saint-Jean-Foot-of-Port joined Bayonne in 1418. The garden of this house communicates, with the famous prison of the Bishops.

The street is completed with the Porte Saint-Jacob , that the pilgrims coming from Ostabat borrowed to enter downtown.

the Mansart House. Located on the place of the Market, this vast hotel of style Louis XIV, with the traditional and symmetrical frontage, shelters the Town hall. Majestic, it is built out of stone of size and is bored on the floor by six large windows with crossed stone. Beautiful attic windows open in the large slate roof. Vis-a-vis him draws up a side of the wall which encloses the old city. The lower part, of the 13th century, out of well installed stones, was elevated tardily by a coarser masonry on which appear loopholes as well as elegant watch towers and bretèches.

the Street of Spain by where the pilgrims set out again.
Its hoods, broad and richly carved, announce already very close Spain; lintels carry original inscriptions and sometimes even of the signs of trades engraved in the stone (houses of metal worker to the n° 30 and barber to the n° 45).
With the n° 9, heads and commas decorate the beams and an inscription indicates on the lintel the “1789 Ft Wheat has 15l”: the wheat was with 15 pounds (implied the conch).
The house of the States de Navarre, with the n° 23, has two doors in semicircular arch and a hammered escutcheon, it goes back to 1610. It is here that the last session of the States de Navarre from September 19th to 22nd 1789 took place.

Famous characters

Births

Death

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