Harambeltz

The Chapelle d'Harambeltz is one of the most historically significant pilgrim sites on the entire French Camino, even though it's easy to walk right past. Founded in 1059 by Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Sauvelade, the chapel was part of a hospitale (pilgrim hospital) that served walkers converging on the three French routes near Ostabat.

What makes Harambeltz special is the community of donats who ran it -- lay people who took religious vows specifically to care for pilgrims. They farmed the surrounding land to fund the hospital's operations. The Latin name Hospitale Sancti Nicolai de Arambels appears in medieval documents. This is one of the oldest documented pilgrim care sites in France, and the donat model -- farmers who were also healthcare workers and spiritual caregivers -- represents a unique medieval institution.

The chapel is classified as a Historic Monument. It's small and austere, fitting for a place that was about practical charity rather than display.