Ossès
Ortzaize
Commune
Road to Ossès
Road to Ossès
Coat of arms of Ossès
Coat of arms
Location of Ossès
Ossès is located in France
Ossès
Ossès
Ossès is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Ossès
Ossès
Coordinates: 43°14′34″N 1°17′01″W / 43.2428°N 1.2836°W / 43.2428; -1.2836
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementBayonne
CantonMontagne Basque
IntercommunalityCA Pays Basque
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Marc Oçafrain[1]
Area
1
42 km2 (16 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2021)[2]
857
 • Density20/km2 (53/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64436 /64780
Elevation101–892 m (331–2,927 ft)
(avg. 282 m or 925 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Ossès (French pronunciation: [ɔsɛs]; Basque: Ortzaize)[3] is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.[4]

Ossès lies in the traditional Basque province of Lower Navarre.[3]

Geography

Ossès is located 13 kilometres (8 mi) north-west of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is surrounded by low hills in the Ossès valley, a part of the valley of the river Nive, home of the pottok, the wild Basque horse. The surrounding countryside is considered very beautiful, with several trails, long-distance walks and picnic sites. The air was described as coming 'straight from heaven' by a local poet.

Basque house
Church in the center of the village

Neighboring communes

History

The village was under the authority of the Dukes of Gascogne, then of Aquitaine, but was passed to the Kingdom of Navarre with the marriage of Princess Berengaria of Navarre, daughter of King Sancho the Wise, to Richard the Lionheart in 1191.

Ossès had the status of a canton but lost this after the French Revolution.

Sights

The village has a splendid sixteenth century church, St-Julien, with a unique heptagonal tower, a famous altarpiece and a pelota fronton forming one of its walls. The graveyard has a small number of stone Basque crosses. There are several traditional Basque houses around the square, characterised by their pink sandstone lintels and half-timbers, including the 1628 Maison Sastriarena, where the Bishops of Bayonne were entertained, and the Maison Harizmendi, where the prelate who married Louis XIV and Maria Theresa stayed in 1660 on his way to the wedding party. The old laundry building has also been preserved.

Economy

The well-known Irouléguy wine and Ossau-Iraty cheese are produced in the area, with tourism, crafts and agriculture key parts of the local economy.

Transport

Ossès-Saint-Martin-d'Arrossa is a railway station on the railway line between Bayonne and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port with several services each day. It is 1 km (0.62 mi) from the village. A bus to Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry connects with the rail service.

Village festival

The village festival

The village festival is on the last Sunday in August.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 ORTZAIZE, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia (in Spanish)
  4. ↑ INSEE commune file
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