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| St Jean pied de port (on the River Nive) is the Capital of the Basse-Navarre, and the Pays de Aze. It's also one of the 3 remaining French provinces of the old kingdom of Navarre. The 2 others being Labourd to the west, and Soule to the east, on the border with Béarn. For centuries it guarded the main gateway south into Spain. There were 2 main passes across the Pyrénées : one at Somport and the other through Roncevalles. From about 950 A. D. St. Jean was the focal point for pilgrims heading for the shrine of St. James at Compostella, in Galacia, and over the centuries the pilgrim traffic made the little town rich. |
 Saint Jean Pied de Port |