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Ossès Ortzaize | |
|---|---|
 Road to Ossès | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Ossès | |
  Ossès  Ossès | |
| Coordinates:43°14′34″N1°17′01″W / 43.2428°N 1.2836°W /43.2428; -1.2836 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Pyrénées-Atlantiques |
| Arrondissement | Bayonne |
| Canton | Montagne Basque |
| Intercommunality | CA Pays Basque |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Jean-Marc Oçafrain[1] |
Area 1 | 42 km2 (16 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 876 |
| • Density | 21/km2 (54/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 64436 /64780 |
| Elevation | 101–892 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 acommune in thePyrénées-Atlantiquesdepartment in south-westernFrance.[4]
Ossès lies in the traditionalBasqueprovince ofLower Navarre.[3]
Ossès is located 13 kilometres (8 mi) north-west ofSaint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, in thefoothills of thePyrenees. It is surrounded by low hills in the Ossès valley, a part of thevalley of theriverNive, home of thepottok, the wild Basquehorse. The surrounding countryside is considered very beautiful, with several trails, long-distance walks andpicnic sites. The air was described as coming 'straight fromheaven' by a localpoet.
Thevillage was under theauthority of theDukes of Gascogne, thenof Aquitaine, but was passed to theKingdom of Navarre with themarriage of PrincessBerengaria of Navarre,daughter ofKingSancho the Wise, toRichard the Lionheart in 1191.
Ossès had the status of acanton but lost this after theFrench Revolution.
The village has a splendid sixteenth century church, St-Julien, with a unique heptagonaltower, a famousaltarpiece and apelotafronton forming one of its walls. Thegraveyard has a small number of stone Basquecrosses. There are several traditional Basque houses around the square, characterised by theirpinksandstonelintels and half-timbers, including the 1628 Maison Sastriarena, where theBishops ofBayonne wereentertained, and the Maison Harizmendi, where the prelate who marriedLouis XIV andMaria Theresa stayed in 1660 on his way to the wedding party. The oldlaundry building has also been preserved.
The well-knownIrouléguywine andOssau-Iraty cheese are produced in the area, withtourism, crafts andagriculture key parts of the localeconomy.
Ossès-Saint-Martin-d'Arrossa is arailway station on therailway line betweenBayonne and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port with several services each day. It is 1 km (0.62 mi) from the village. Abus to Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry connects with the rail service.
The villagefestival is on the last Sunday in August.
