St Jean de Luz

History

The Basques are, of course, the region’s oldest inhabitants and have maintained their language and culture throughout the ages, despite the area being conquered in the 1st century by the Romans. After the Roman invasion of South-West France, they baptized the region as Aquitania or Aquitaine. The area remained under Roman control for centuries, prospering as a small trading port. However, as the Roman Empire began to crumble in the 5th century, they lost control of the region, and in 418, Rome gave the provinces of Aquitania to the Visigoths, tribes from Northern Europe. A period of conflict followed, with several tribes fighting for control of this desirable part of the French Atlantic coast.

The Vikings, a tribe from modern-day Scandinavia, conquered the Basque region in 840 during their invasion of Gascony and held onto this prize for over a century until the province was retaken by the Basque Duke William II Sanchez of Gascony. He drove out the Scandinavian invaders and reintroduced Christianity to the region; monasteries soon sprung all over this part of the Basque country. However, the area soon split into feudal Kingdoms and was not unified until Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England, giving him possession of the French territories of Aquitaine and Gascony.

This foreign control of the French Atlantic region would continue into the 13th century after Henry III; the English King, appointed Simon de Montford as Governor of Gascony. From hereafter, St Jean would enter a turbulent period of history, during the 100 years war between England and France Philip IV battled Edward I for control of the region. Many lives were lost in the bloody battles, and atrocities were committed by both sides. St Jean’s fate was finally resolved in the Treaty of Paris in 1303, which gave the English King full control of Autiance.

St-.Jean de Luz enjoyed a more peaceful and prosperous existence after the signing of the Treaty and entered its Golden Age in the 17th century, its fame encouraged by St Jean’s importance as a coastal stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The village’s prosperity was primarily funded by fishing and whaling, with a good deal of pirating also contributing to St Jean’s good fortune. Many grand residences were built on the back of this wealth in the 17th and 18th centuries, some of which are still entirely intact today. They housed the Basque families and merchants, in addition to accommodating a very famous guest in the shape of Queen Mother, Anne of Austria.

Queen Anne was in St Jean to oversee the marriage of Louis XIV to Marie-Therese of Spain, following the signing of the ‘Treaty of the Pyrenees’ between Spain and France in 1659. In what was arguably the village’s proudest moment, the couple chose the Basque church of St John the Baptist to host their wedding. At this point, St-Jean became the second largest town in the region, with a population of over 12,000.

However, this Belle-époque was not free of turmoil or incident; in 1609, more than 600 of the village’s women were accused of witchery by the Church and sentenced to be burned alive! Luckily, they were saved from their judgment as heretics when their husbands returned from a fishing trip and fought to claim their wives. It is the stuff of legends!

St-Jean-de-Luz continued to prosper until the French Revolution in the 18th century, although the Basque region didn’t bear the full brunt of the conflict by any means. After the Revolution and subsequent abolition of the monarchy, a new centralized government abolished the local privileges that had been granted by the so-called ancient regime. The village faded into slight obscurity during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, continuing to earn a living through fishing but not sharing in Biarritz’s fame as a fashionable resort.

Gastronomy & Wine

These are two things that the French take very seriously indeed, and the citizens of St. Jean de Luz are no exception. Its Basque inhabitants take a passion for gastronomy to another level, and you could argue that some of the finest French cuisine resides in the Basque region. Good food isn’t just an option here; it’s a way of life and cooked indifferently at your peril, locals like to say!

St-Jean offers a whole range of dining options, from simple and (relatively) inexpensive local fare to the very finest Haute Basque cuisine with prices to match. Unsurprisingly, seafood restaurants are found in abundance along the waterfront, although many good options present themselves further back from the Atlantic. Try Pantxua for excellent, traditional Basque seafood dishes and great views of the bay.

As you can imagine, local Basque cuisine is always based around high quality, local seasonal ingredients rather than elaborate sauces or spice combinations. The Basque people have a long history of seafaring, and the fish here is unbeatable. Cod, hake, and fresh tuna are popular when the Oysters are in season. They sell out fast! Wild game, hams, and mushrooms are all famous staple local cuisine. What of the wine? Well, the Basque country produces Txakoli, a crisp white wine that is perfect as an aperitif. The Basque region of Alava produces exceptional red Riojan wines, an ideal match for local game and lamb dishes. Most restaurants in St-Jean will have well-stocked cellars, containing excellent wines from Bordeaux and the Languedoc in south-west France; the options are virtually endless. Of course, no feast would be complete with a glass of Champagne – or Cava – as your aperitif.