Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
thecharacteristicBasquered,white,andgreen.Thereareasmanycandyshopsasthereare
tourists. Keep aneye openforalocal branch ofthe British auction house Christie's,which
specializes in high-end real estate. Video screens in the window advertise French castles
for a mere €2 million, while local vacation homes go for considerably less.
• Just before Place Louis XIV, you'll see the town's main church.
Eglise St. Jean-Baptiste:
The marriage of Louis XIV and Marie-Thérèse put St-
Jean-de-Luzonthemap,andthischurchiswhereitalltookplace.Theultimateinpolitical
marriages, the knot tied between Louis XIV and Marie-Thérèse in 1660 also cinched a re-
conciliationdealbetweenEurope'stwomostpowerfulcountries.ThekingofSpain,Philip
IV—wholivedinElEscorialpalace—gave hisdaughterinmarriagetothekingofFrance,
who lived in Versailles. This marriage united Europe's two largest palaces, which helped
end a hundred years of hostility and forged an alliance that enabled both to focus atten-
tion on other matters (like England). Little St-Jean-de-Luz was selected for its 15 minutes
of fame because it was roughly halfway between Madrid and Paris, and virtually on the
France-Spain border. The wedding cleared out both Versailles and El Escorial palaces, as
anyone who was anyone attended this glamorous event.
The church, centered on the pedestrian street Rue Gambetta, seems modest enough
from the exterior...but step inside (Mon-Sat 8:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:30, Sun 8:00-12:00 &
15:00-19:30). The local expertise was in shipbuilding, so the ceiling resembles the hull of
a ship turned upside down. The dark wood balconies running along the nave segregated
the men from the women and children (men went upstairs until the 1960s, as they still do
in nearby villages) and were typical of Basque churches. The number of levels depended
on the importance of the church, and this church, with three levels, is the largest Basque
church in France.
