Sauveterre-de-Béarn

Sauveterre-de-Béarn is a pretty 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.

Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Commune
View up to Medieval village of Sauveterre de Bearn with the Pont de la Legende (foreground)
Coat of arms
Location of Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Coordinates: 43°24′02″N 0°56′19″W
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementOloron-Sainte-Marie
CantonOrthez et Terres des Gaves et du Sel
IntercommunalityBéarn des Gaves
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Jean Labour
Area
1
14.54 km2 (5.61 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
1,375
 • Density95/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

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. In modern times children use the bridge to jump into the deep river.

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. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.



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