Sauveterre-de-Béarn

Coordinates: 43°24′02″N 0°56′19″W / 43.4006°N 0.9386°W / 43.4006; -0.9386
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sauveterre-de-Béarn
View up to Medieval village of Sauveterre de Bearn with the Pont de la Legende (foreground)
View up to Medieval village of Sauveterre de Bearn with the Pont de la Legende (foreground)
Coat of arms of Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Location of Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Map
Sauveterre-de-Béarn is located in France
Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Sauveterre-de-Béarn is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Coordinates: 43°24′02″N 0°56′19″W / 43.4006°N 0.9386°W / 43.4006; -0.9386
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementOloron-Sainte-Marie
CantonOrthez et Terres des Gaves et du Sel
IntercommunalityBéarn des Gaves
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean Labour[1]
Area
1
14.54 km2 (5.61 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,365
 • Density94/km2 (240/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64513 /64390
Elevation44–205 m (144–673 ft)
(avg. 71 m or 233 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Gave d'Oloron River

Sauveterre-de-Béarn (French pronunciation: [sovtɛʁ beaʁn], literally Sauveterre of Béarn; Occitan: Sauvatèrra; Basque: Salbaterra Bearno) is a medieval village perched above the Gave d'Oloron and facing the Pyrenees in south-western France. It is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department.

History

While the stone portions of the drawbridge remain, the wooden section is no longer there and the terminal of the bridge has been walled. The church and many buildings remain in their original condition.

In the Middle Ages the town was used to keep a watch from its lofty heights on Gascony and the bordering Navarre. The remains of the bridge provide the most impressive view of the town above.

Miscellaneous

Sauveterre de Bearn appeared in the Trevanian (aka Rod Whitaker) novel The Summer of Katya under the name Alos. In the book, it is where the Festival of the Drowned Virgin takes place.

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.