Saint-Jean-le-Vieux
The Vía Podiensis
Saint-Jean-le-Vieux (Basque: Donazaharre, contraction of Donibane Zaharra, meaning "the old Saint John") is the penultimate stop before SJPP on the GR65, lying just 3.6 km from the famous gateway to the Pyrenees. But this quiet village has a story that runs deeper than its more famous neighbor.
The Romans established a garrison here from 15 BC, calling it Imus Pyrenaeus ("foot of the Pyrenees") -- a waystation on the road from Bordeaux to Astorga listed in the Antonine Itinerary. The rectangular castrum measured 200 by 115 meters with a strong rampart, a regular city plan, and a small forum with a temple. Archaeological excavations since 1965 have revealed thermal baths, amphorae, ceramics, coins, and glassware. The site is a classified Historic Monument, and the GAPO archaeological centre offers visits (Mon-Fri 9-12/2-4, Sat 9-12, 3 EUR).
Saint-Jean-le-Vieux was the capital of the Pays de Cize from the 11th to the 13th century -- until Richard the Lionheart razed it to the ground in 1177. The Kings of Navarre then refounded the regional capital a few kilometers south as what we now know as Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Hence "le Vieux" -- the old one.
The Eglise Saint-Pierre d'Usakoa (13th century) has a Romanesque portal with three archivolts, a chrismon, and 17th-century wooden galleries typical of Basque churches. The Chapelle Saint-Blaise d'Aphat-Ospitalia was the seat of a commandery of the Hospitallers, documented as early as 1186.
Two thousand years of the same road converge here. The Bordeaux-Astorga Roman road that passed through Imus Pyrenaeus is essentially the same route the GR65 follows today. Pilgrims walk where legionnaires marched.
The Roman garrison saw real prosperity in the late 2nd century with an influx of goods from Spain, but evidence of massive destruction in the mid-3rd century -- likely from early Germanic invasions -- marks the beginning of the end. Final abandonment came before the 5th century.
Richard the Lionheart's 1177 campaign destroyed the medieval town, and the Basque name Donazaharre ("Old Saint John") preserves the memory. The refounding at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port created the town that pilgrims now know, but the deeper history lives here.
From Navarrenx the GR65 crosses into the Basque Country -- first gradually through the transitional villages of Lichos and Aroue, then unmistakably as the white-and-red half-timbered etxeak replace Bearnais stone farmhouses and Basque place names become the norm.
The big landmark on this stretch is Ostabat, where three of the four great French pilgrimage routes converge. From there the trail enters Lower Navarre, the Basque province that was part of the Kingdom of Navarre for centuries. The Cize valley carries you through Gamarthe, Mongelos, and Bussunarits to Saint-Jean-le-Vieux -- the Roman Imus Pyrenaeus, destroyed by Richard the Lionheart in 1177 and replaced by its more famous neighbor.
The terrain is green, hilly, and increasingly dramatic as the Pyrenees loom ahead. The landscape shifts from rolling pastoral hills to wilder, windswept terrain with streams and drystone walls. Services are scarce between towns -- plan your water and food. Harambeltz chapel (1059) and Ostabat's medieval pilgrim infrastructure are the cultural highlights. You'll see discoidal steles in the cemeteries and hear Basque spoken in the villages. You're almost at the mountains.
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