St Jean Pied de Port

Saint Jean Pied de Port is the traditional starting point for the Camino de Santiago.  It is a quaint old town, and normally fairly busy. There are a few outdoor markets around the town, a good place to get anything that you have forgotten to bring, e.g. a hat.

For travel directions to St Jean see this page – How to get to St Jean Pied de Port

As you go along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela you will be asked by others where you started, one of the common questions when strangers meet. When pilgrims tell you they started in St Jean, there is often a slight note of pride in their voice. And quite rightly, the walk from St Jean to Roncesvalles is the hardest one day of the whole Camino. It is a great accomplishment for all who walk from here. My hat off to everyone that has the time and starts here.

There are a few Albergues in St Jean Pied de Port, all but one are private. During July and August it can be hard to get a bed, however many people, full of enthusiasm, turn up at St Jean and start their Camino within an hour of arrival.

Pilgrims office

At the office in St Jean you can collect you credential, (pilgrims passport), this is required for staying in albergues, and to collect your stamps (sello) along your Camino to Santiago.  Additionally the pilgrims office have some maps and a list of albergues, this will be the most up to date list. They are a very helpful crowd who speak many languages between them, but having a few French words to mind will always be helpful.

Saint Jean Pied de Port(literally meaning “Saint John at the foot of the mountain pass” in French) 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).

Geography

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

History

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 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 en Velay met at Saint Jean Pied de Port and it was the pilgrims’ last stop before the arduous mountain crossing.

Sights

We have a page that has of photos of St Jean here.

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 gray stone, 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.

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

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 1km from the centre of the town

Miscellaneous

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

For more information on St Jean and a list of accomodation see the St Jean tourist web site.