The Pyrenees and Gascony

The Pyrenees are a neglected part of France, but they have not always been so. The Romans stopped there to enjoy the natural resources, establishing thermal stations in the foothills. In medieval times a brisk traffic in pilgrims crossed the Pyrenees on their way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, a shrine which today is outdone by Lourdes in the French foothills. Some travellers took the easy coastal route around the Pyrenees, but many climbed the mountain pass at St Jean Pied de Port, which is still a gateway to the Iberian peninsula. So remote from Paris, local lords like the kings of Navarre, the dukes of Gascony and counts of Foix enjoyed an enviable independence, maintaining armies and sizeable courts. Their influence on the region remains, for the territorial and cultural divisions their courts established still stand.