Ascain (; ) is a commune in the

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...

department in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

region of south-western

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Ascain is part of the urban area of

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

in the traditional

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

province of

Labourd Labourd (; ; ; ) is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques '' département'' of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial component pa ...

13 km east of

Irun Irun (, ) is a town of the Bidasoaldea region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. History It lies on the foundations of the ancient Oiasso, cited as a Roman- Vasconic town. During the Spanish Civil War, ...

and south of

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; ,Donibane Lohitzune
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eu ...

and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

in the western foothills of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

. The southern tip of the commune touches the border with Spain at the peak of

Larrun Larrun (, ; ; ; - 'good pasture', possibly a folk etymology, in French until the 20th century: ''Larhune'') is a mountain (905 m) at the western end of the Pyrenees. It is located on the border of France and Spain, where the traditional Basque ...

mountain. Access to the commune is by the D4 road from

Urrugne Urrugne (; )URRUÑA

in the north-west coming into the commune from the west then passing through the town and continuing south-east to Sare. The D918 also comes from

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; ,Donibane Lohitzune
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eu ...

in the north and passes through the north of the commune between two urban areas and continuing east to

Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle (, literally ''Saint-Pée on Nivelle''; ; )SENPERE

. Some 30% of the commune is residential with some small forests in the north and farmland mostly in the south with some farms in the north.Google Maps
/ref> The summit of

, a mountain iconic of the Basque country, is situated approximately south of the town at the southern tip of the commune on the border with Spain. The summit can be reached by the

Petit train de la Rhune The Chemin de fer de la Rhune (), Petit train de la Rhune () or (in Basque) Larrungo tren ttipia is a metre gauge rack railway in France at the western end of the Pyrenees, in the Basque Country. It links the Col de Saint-Ignace, some to the e ...

, which commences from the Col de Saint-Ignace, to the east of the town outside the commune on the D4 road to Sare. The Interurban Network of Pyrénées-Atlantiques bus line has two stops in the commune: one for Route 863 which runs from Hasparren to Saint-Jean-de-Luz; and Route 858 between Sare and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The

Nivelle Nivelle () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 647 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes cooperate ...

river flows through the north of the commune flowing towards the west parallel to the D918 on its way to the

. Several tributaries rise in the south of the commune and flow north, gathering many more tributaries, into the Nivelle. These streams include the Aniberreko Erreka, the Galardiko Erreka, and the Arraioko Erreka. The Larrunko Erreka forms the south-western border of the commune as it flows north then west to join the Intsolako Erreka which continues north to join the Aniberreko Erreka.

Places and hamlets

* Aïra-Harri * Aldagarai * Ansorlua * Apituxenborda * Arginenia * Arraioa * Askubea * Biscarzoun or Bizkarzun (redoubt) * Bordatxoenia * Dorria * Errotenea * Esnaur (redoubt) * Etxegaraia * Hiriburua * Ihizelaia * Indartea * Jauregikoborda * Kisu Labea * Lanzelai (ZA) * Larrunzola * Lur Eder * Manttobaita * Martinhaurrenborda * Miramar * Monségur * Morzelai * Muga * Nausienborda * Oihanetxeberria * Paxkulinenea * Portua * Urritzagakoborda * Sabadinenborda * Sainte-Hélène * Serres * Telleriaberria * Xakarroko Errota * Xeruenborda * Xorroetaberria * Xuanenborda * Zelaia * Zelaiakoborda Ascain Chalet basque

Géoportail

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

Toponymy

The commune name in basque is ''Azkaine''. The name ''Ascain'' probably comes from ''haitz gain'' meaning "top of the hill" or "rocky height".

Brigitte Jobbé-Duval Brigitte Jobbé-Duval is a French historian and linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics) ...

, ''Dictionary of place names - Pyrénées-Atlantiques'', 2009, Archives and Culture, The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune. Sources: *Goyheneche: Eugène Goyheneche, ''Basque Country: Soule, Labourd, Basse-Navarre''Eugène Goyheneche, ''Basque Country: Soule, Labourd, Basse-Navarre'', Société nouvelle d'éditions régionales et de diffusion, Pau, 1979, bnf FRBNF34647711, p. 583 *

Raymond Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...

:''
''Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees''
1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. ''Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees''
Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 *Lhande: Basque-French Dictionary by

Pierre Lhande Pierre Lhande Heguy () was a French writer. He was born in Bayonne, France on 9 July 1877 and died 17 April 1957 in Tardets, Soule; for unknown reasons he was given his grandfather's surname, Lhande, as opposed to his father's surname Basagaitz. ...

, Dictionnaire basque-français, 1926. *Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan,
'' New Basque Toponymy''
ref name="Orpustan">Jean-Baptiste Orpustan,
''New Basque Toponymy''
Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2006, Origins: *Bayonne:

Cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll ('' rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...

or ''Livre d'Or'' (Book of Gold)Manuscript from the 14th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Chapter: Titles of the Chapter of

Chapter of Bayonne in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Labourd: Titles of LabourdTitles of Labourd in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Collations: Collations of the

Diocese of Bayonne The Diocese of Bayonne, Lescar, and Oloron, commonly Diocese of Bayonne, (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baionensis, Lascurrensis et Oloronensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayonne, Lescar et Oloron''; Basque: ''Baionako, Leskarreko eta Oloroeko elizbarrutia'') ...

Manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques

History

In 1609 Councillor

Pierre de Lancre Pierre de Rosteguy de Lancre or Pierre de l'Ancre, Lord of De Lancre (1553–1631), was the French judge of Bordeaux who conducted the massive Labourd witch-hunt of 1609. In 1582 he was named judge in Bordeaux, and in 1608 Henry IV of France, Kin ...

intervened in

French Basque Country The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...

at the head of a commission of inquiry demanded by

Henri IV Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

. The commission was to "purge the country of all sorcerers and sorceresses under the influence of demons". The priest of Ascain was degraded then burned. The

Bishop of Bayonne The Diocese of Bayonne, Lescar, and Oloron, commonly Diocese of Bayonne, (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baionensis, Lascurrensis et Oloronensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayonne, Lescar et Oloron''; Basque: ''Baionako, Leskarreko eta Oloroeko elizbarrutia'') ...

, Jean VI de Sossiondo, built a large house called "Askunda" here during the middle of the 16th century, which can still be seen. In 1794, at the height of

The Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to ...

and after the desertion of 47 young people from Itxassou, the

Committee of Public Safety The Committee of Public Safety () was a committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet during the Reign of Terror, a violent phase of the French Revolution. Supplementing the Committee of General D ...

(Decree of 13 Ventôse Year II - 3 March 1794) arrested and deported some of the men, women, and children from Ainhoa, Ascain,

Espelette Espelette (; ; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It lies in the traditional Basque province of Labourd. Sights The town is attractive, with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected ...

Itxassou Itxassou (; Basque ''Itsasu'')ITSASU

Sare, and Souraïde; and declared the commune, as for other communes near the Spanish border, a "Notorious commune". This measure was also extended to

Biriatou Biriatou (; )BIRIATU

, Cambo, Larressore,

Louhossoa Louhossoa (; )LUHUSO

Mendionde Mendionde (; )LEKORNE

Macaye Macaye (; )MAKEA

Ustaritz Ustaritz (; ) is a town in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, southwestern France. It is located on the river Nive some inland from Bayonne. Ustaritz station has rail connecti ...

or in those of the ''Grande Redoubt'', such as

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

". In reality they were gathered in the churches then deported in very precarious conditions to

Capbreton Capbreton (; ) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Located at the mouth of the Boudigau and Bourret rivers, the town is situated about 40 km north of Biarritz. The town is a popular holi ...

Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Sent Vincenç de Tiròssa'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Landes (department), Landes Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population ...

, and

Ondres Ondres (; ) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is only two miles from the nearest beach (Ondres plage), which is well known for being a good surfing spot. Population Culture Ondres is the ...

. Departments where people from the communes were interned were Lot,

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, ) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Gers Gers (; or , ) is a departments of France, department in the regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southwestern France. Gers is bordered by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques to ...

, Landes, Basses-Pyrénées (the Béarnais part), and

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...

. The return of the exiles and the recovery of their properties were determined by a series of decrees issued on 29 September and 1 October 1794 - driven in this direction by the Director of Ustaritz: "The former communes of Sare, Itxassou, Ascain, Biriatou, and Serres, whose inhabitants have been interned for eight months as a measure of general security people have not been able to farm. The people who wish to obtain freedom to retire to their homes are clamouring for food without us being able to provide them with the means to fulfil this first human need, hunger". The recovery of property was not done without difficulty: their properties had been sequestered but were not registered and so were looted: "Movable and immovable property of the inhabitants of Sare, were neither legally recognized nor disclosed; all our furniture and household effects were removed and brought confusedly to neighbouring communes. Instead of putting them in safe places, some were sold at auction or to any other party without auction".

Heraldry

These arms were registered for the first time on 5 July 1405 by Juan Martinez de Agorreta y Ascain, Lord of Agorreta and Ascain, who married Princess Leonor Tocco de Acciaioli, from the Florence House of Acciaioli.the History page on the commune website

Administration

List of Successive Mayors Ascain Mairie

;

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

from 1941

Inter-communality

The commune is part of eight inter-communal structures: * the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque; * the AEP association of Nive Nivelle; * the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques; * the inter-communal association for secondary educational colleges of Saint-Jean-de-Luz; * the inter-communal association for the rescue centre in Saint-Jean-de-Luz; * the SIED Côte Basque Sud; * the association to support Basque culture. * the Basque Bayonne - San Sebastián Eurocity.

Twinning

Ascain has twinning associations with: * Bollendorf (Germany) since 1979. *

Lesaka Lesaka is a town and municipality in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, in Spain. It is situated in the merindad of Iruña, in the region of Bortziriak (Five Villas) and to 75 km of the capital of the community, Iruña/Pampl ...

(Spain) since 1980.

Demography

In 1670 the commune had 300

fires Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion reaction when the fuel ...

and in 1718 1,560 inhabitants. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Azkaindar''.Euskaltzaindia - Academy of the Basque language
(Basque)

Economy

Economic activity is mainly agricultural and also tourism. There is a sandstone quarry in the commune. Ascain is part of the

Appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

(AOC) zone of

Ossau-iraty Ossau-Iraty () is a Basque cheese made from sheep's milk. Origin Ossau-Iraty or Esquirrou is produced in south-western France, in the Northern Basque Country and in Béarn. Its name reflects its geographical location, the Ossau Valley in Béarn ...

. There are two breweries (Akerbeltz and Oldarki) in the commune.

Culture and heritage

According to the ''Map of the Seven Basque Provinces'' edited in 1863 by Prince

Louis-Lucien Bonaparte Louis Lucien Bonaparte (4 January 1813 – 3 November 1891) was a French philologist. The third son of Napoleon's second surviving brother, Lucien Bonaparte, he spent much of his life outside France for political reasons. After a brief politic ...

, the

basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

dialect spoken in Ascain is Labourdin. The film ''La Danseuse Orchidée'' by

Léonce Perret Léonce Joseph Perret (14 March 1880 – 12 August 1935) was a prolific and innovative French film actor, director and producer.The Museum of Modern Art(retrieved 7 June 2007) He also worked as a stage actor and director. Often described as avan ...

was partly filmed in Ascain in 1928 with Chiquito de Cambo.

Civil heritage

There are several buildings and structures in Ascain that are registered as historical monuments. These are: *House of Ferdinand Pinney Earle (20th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée *Redoubt of Biscarzoun (partly in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle) (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée *Redoubt of Esnaur (1813)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée *Roman bridge on the Nivelle (5th century). It was rebuilt after the collapse of the central pier caused by flooding of the Nivelle in December 1994. *Group of nine

Stone circle A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being ...

s at Aïra-Harri (Protohistoric)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The two redoubts were part of the defence by

Marshal Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman. He was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and served three times as President of the Council of ...

of the Franco-Spanish border against the British Army under

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

in 1813. In 1947 the village erected the first ''Stèle des évadés de France'' (Stele of escapees of France) in memory of the resistance fighters who left France to join the

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...

via Spain during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Religious heritage

The Church of the Assumption has some medieval remains. It was enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries and was inaugurated under

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

in 1626. In 1605 Monseigneur Bertrand d'Etchaux,

, visited the parish of Ascain and permitted "the said parishioners of the said parish to sell or dispose of the tombs that seem good in favour of the proceeds of the sale"... (be used for) ..."the keeping, repair, and completion of the work on the church". Inside the church is a Statue of the Virgin and Child which is a cast of a statue from the 14th century: the original in marble, called the ''Virgin of Longchamp'', is preserved in the Musée national du Moyen Âge (National Museum of the Middle Ages) in Paris. Tombstones in pink sandstone from

cover the grounds. File:Ascain (Pyr-Atl., Fr) église.JPG, Church of the Assumption at Ascain Image:Ascain Eglise 3.JPG, Modern Virgin Image:Ascain Eglise 4.JPG, Plaque in pink sandstone from

dating to 1648 File:Ascain Horloge.JPG, Clock on the church File:Ascain Eglise 1.JPG, Church entrance File:Ascain Eglise 5.JPG, Statue File:Ascain Eglise 2.JPG, Pulpit and gallery File:Ascain - Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption - 2.jpg, The

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

File:Ascain Eglise 13.JPG, Bas-relief File:Ascain Eglise 12.JPG, The

Nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

File:Ascain Eglise 10.JPG, Statue of Saint Antoine File:Ascain Stèle 1.JPG, Hilarri File:Ascain Svatiska.jpg, Swastika

Hilarri Hilarri (from Basque ''hil'' 'dead' and ''harri'' 'stone') is the name given to disk-shaped funerary steles that are typical of the Basque Country. These funerary steles present a disc-shaped head facing the rising sun on a trapezoidal stand ...

File:Ascain Stèle discoïdale.jpg,

File:Ascain Stèle 2.JPG, Stele of General Jean-Pierre Ritter The Chapel of Serres, dedicated to Saint Jacques and recently restored was, in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, a waystation on the Way of St. James.Fascicule, ''Ascain-Azkaine'' prefaced by Léon Labayen

Facilities

Education

The commune has three primary schools: one public, one private catholic (Sainte-Marie school), and one

Ikastola An (, plural ) is a type of primary and secondary school in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and (to a much lesser extent) the French Basque Country (see Basque Country) in which pupils are taught either entirely or predominantly in the ...

(Basque language school).Education page on the commune website
A Music school (Kornelio), in the form of an association offers classic and traditional training.Presentation of the main associations in Ascain from the commune website
The ''Larrundarrak'' drum band, the ''Larrun Kanta'' choir, and the ''Martintxo-Altxalili'' association complete the musical offerings of the commune.

Sports and sports facilities

There are several sports associations in the commune including associations for

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

traditional dance A folk dance is a dance that reflects the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances. For example, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances. Ritual dances are us ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

basque pelota Basque pelota (Basque: '' pilota'', Spanish: '' pelota vasca'', French: '' pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall (''frontis or fronto ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

, and

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

Notable people linked to the commune

*Johannes de Sossiondo, born at Ascain,

from 1566 to 1578;Philippe Veyrin, ''The Basques'', Arthaud, 1975, , page 113 *

Edmé-Martin Vandermaesen Edmé-Martin, comte Vandermaesen (Versailles (city), Versailles, 11 November 1767 – 1 September 1813; also spelled Vander Maesen) was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was killed in action while leadi ...

, born in 1766 at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

and died in 1813 at Ascain, was a

Divisional general Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

, mortally wounded at

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; ,Donibane Lohitzune
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eu ...

; * Nicolas François Conroux, born in 1770 at

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

(Nord) and died in 1813 at St Esprit), was a French General, Baron of Pépinville, mortally wounded at Ascain; *Jean Hirigoyen Larroque, born at Ascain in 1788, father of Martin Hirigoyen Dolagaray (1821-1888) who emigrated to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and was the father of Hipólito Yrigoyen Alem, twice president of Argentina. *José Revilla Haya, born at

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

of a basque family in 1864 and died at Ascain in 1955, Mining engineer and geologist. *Jean-Pierre Borda, called ''Otharré'', born at Ascain in 1866 and died in 1922, was a

player in rebot and bare hands. Friend of

Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Ele ...

, he was inspired by one of the characters in the novel ''

Ramuntcho ''Ramuntcho'' (1897) is a novel by French author Pierre Loti. It is a love and adventure story about contraband runners in the Basque province of France. It is one of Loti's most popular stories—"love, loss and faith remain eternal themes"—wi ...

'', which was written at the Hotel de la Rhune. *

Ernest Fourneau Ernest Fourneau (4 October 1872 – 5 August 1949) was a French pharmacist who graduated in 1898 for the Paris university specialist in medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. He played a major role in the discovery of synthetic local anesthetics s ...

, born at

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...

in 1872, died at Ascain in 1949, was the founder of French Medicinal chemistry. *Ferdinand Pinney Earle (1878-1951) was a famous

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

cinema decorator in the 1910s and 1920s. In 1930 he moved to Ascain and built a house shaped like a revolver reminiscent of adobe houses built in Santa Fe around 1920. *Jean Élissalde, born at Ascain in 1883 and died at Gréciette in 1961, was a writer,

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

, poet, and basque academic. *

Prince Feodor Alexandrovich of Russia Prince Feodor Alexandrovich of Russia (; 23 December O.S. 11 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 11 December1898 – 30 November 1968) was the second son and third child of Grand Duk ...

, born on 23 December 1898 at

Saint-Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

(Russia), and died on 30 November 1968 at Ascain. He was buried in the cemetery at

Urrugne Urrugne (; )URRUÑA

. *Marie-Louise Osorio, from Ascain, was a

bertsolari Bertsolaritza or bertsolarism is the art of singing improvised songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns. Bertsos can be composed at a variety of occasions but are performed generally by one or various ''bertsolaris'' ...

, famous for her duet with Pierre Ibarrart in 1869.Gérard Moutche, ''What do Basque houses say?'', Atlantica, 2010, Paris, , pages 58-59. *Maurice Abeberry born at

in 1926 and died at Ascain in 1988, was a doctor of law, lawyer, sports administrator, and music-lover; *Léon Berho born on 4 June 1932 at Ascain and died at

Dax The DAX (''Deutscher Aktienindex'' (German stock index); ) is a stock market index consisting of the 40 major German blue chip companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It is a total return index. Prices are taken from the Xetra t ...

in October 2011, was a

player, finalist in the championship of France in 1961, 1963, and 1966 with

US Dax Union Sportive Dax Rugby Landes, also known as US Dax, is a French rugby union club currently playing in Pro D2, the second level of the French league system. They were founded in 1904. They play at Stade Maurice Boyau (capacity 16,170). They w ...

; *

Jacques Chaban-Delmas Jacques Chaban-Delmas (; 7 March 1915 – 10 November 2000) was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1969 to 1972. He was the Mayor of Bordeaux from 1947 to 1995 and a deputy for the Gironde ''d ...

, born in 1915 at Paris and died in 2000 at Paris, was Mayor of Bordeaux, Prime Minister, Honorary President of the National Assembly, General of the Resistance, buried in the cemetery at Ascain where he had a second home.

References

External links

AZKAINE in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)

Ascain official website

Ascain on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Ascain'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques