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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
.
Sights
The town is attractive, with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected sixteenth-century church, Saint-Etienne, has a
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
altarpiece, and its graveyard has many traditional Basque discoidal tombstones.
Espelette is a charming town located in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. It nestles near the Spanish border in the Navarre region of Spain. It sits approximately 122.4 kilometers from the capital of Pau, and is around 22 kilometers from Bayonne, a significant subprefecture in the region. Notably, Espelette is part of a vibrant community living area of Cambo-les-Bains, placing it in the heart of a dynamic and culturally rich region.
Notable people
*
Agnès Souret
Jeanne Germaine Berthe Agnès Souret (21 January 1902 – 30 September 1928) was a French Basque actress, dancer and beauty pageant titleholder who was the winner of the inaugural Miss France competition in 1920.
Biography
Jeanne Germaine Bert ...
, the first woman ever chosen as
Miss France
Miss France is a national beauty pageant in France held annually in December. The competition was first held in 1920, and has been organized continuously since 1947. The trademark for the pageant is owned by the company Miss France SAS, and is ...
, in 1920, is buried in Espelette. She died in Argentina, aged 26, in 1928, and her body was repatriated to Espelette by her mother, who sold most of her possessions to provide a resting place for her daughter.
* Father
Armand David
Armand David, CM (7 September 1826, Espelette – 10 November 1900, Paris) was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist from the French Basque Country.
Several species, such as Père David's deer ...
(1826–1900), a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist, was born in Espelette.
Red peppers
Espelette is known for its dried red peppers, used whole or ground to a hot powder, used in the production of Bayonne ham. The peppers are designated as
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 ...
and are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The peppers are sold in the town's Wednesday covered market and are honoured in a festival on the last Sunday in October.
See also
*
Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
The following is a list of the 545 Communes of France, communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 202 ...
Armand David
Armand David, CM (7 September 1826, Espelette – 10 November 1900, Paris) was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist from the French Basque Country.
Several species, such as Père David's deer ...
's birth house, inaugurated by Cardinal
Roger Etchegaray
Roger Marie Élie Etchegaray (; 25 September 1922 – 4 September 2019) was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. Etchegaray served as the Archbishop of Marseille from 1970 to 1985 before entering the Roman Curia, where he served as Preside ...