Roland's Breach (french: La Brèche de Roland; es, La Brecha de Rolando; an, La Breca de Roldán; eu, Errolanen Arraila; ca, La Bretxa de Rotllà) is the name of a natural gap, 40 m across and 100 m high, at an elevation of 2804 m in the Pyrenees on the border of Aragón, northern Spain, and

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...

, France. The gap is situated in the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park on the Franco-Spanish border, close to the steep cliffs of the Cirque de Gavarnie. According to one legend Roland's Breach was cut by Count

Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

with his sword Durendal in an attempt to destroy the sword, after being defeated during the Battle of Roncesvalles in 778. In a variant of one of the legends associated with Salto de Roldán, a rock formation about north of Huesca, Roland ( es, Roldán), the foremost of Charlemagne's paladins, was being hotly pursued by

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

, the Muslim Arab occupiers of Spain. Cornered at Salto de Roldán, he escaped by leaping the chasm on horseback from one of the crags to the other; the horse died in the attempt. Roland continued northward on foot, and smote the Pyrenees with his sword to create Roland's Breach, so that he could see France one last time before he died. The gap can be reached from the ''Refugio Sarradets'',"Refugio Serradets o Brecha de Rolando 2587 m."
madteam.net, retrieved 2013-08-20 a nearby mountain shelter, in about an hour's climb. The provenance of this myth is unclear as the Cirque du Gavarnie is approximately 150km East South East from the Roncesvaux Pass where the legend of Roland is based.

Gallery

Breche de Roland en El Dedo.jpg, Roland's Breach as seen from the Spanish side La breche de roland 3.jpg, Roland's Breach, seen from a distance

References

External links

"La Brecha de Rolando"
summitpost.org, retrieved 2013-08-20 (in French)
"Taillón (3.144m) por la Brecha de Rolando"
rutaspirineos.org, retrieved 2013-08-20 (in Spanish)
Otras bellas fotos de la brecha de Rolando
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roland's Breach Breach Mountain passes of Aragon Mountain passes of Spain Mountain passes of the Pyrenees Mountain passes of Hautes-Pyrénées France–Spain border crossings Tourist attractions in Hautes-Pyrénées