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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assumption of Ainhoa, located in the French Basque Country, was built in the 13th century by the pre-shows. The latter have structured the region into parishes, taking advantage of Compostelle's strategic and commercial route. Ainhoa, known for its weapons production and mines, became an important settlement. The building, in Romanesque style with a unique nave and a cul-de-four bedside, also served as a refuge in the event of war thanks to its massive appearance and its murderers.

In the 16th and early 17th centuries (between 1611 and 1636), the church was renovated during the reconstruction of the abbey of the pre-monstrated. A four-storey square peg tower was added, topped later (1823) by an octagonal slate bell tower. During the Revolution, in 1794, the church was transformed into a forage store after the raid of the local population. It was returned to worship after the 1801 concordat, but its interior, ransacked, preserved traces of this troubled period.

The interior is distinguished by its two floors of galleries (1649, formerly reserved for men) and its baroque altarpiece in golden wood, decorated with red and blue statues and paintings. The ceiling, covered with wooden caissons, and the stained glass windows of the late 19th century add to its remarkable character. Classified as a historical monument in 1996, it illustrates Basque religious architecture, combining spiritual, defensive and community functions.

The church now depends on the parish of Saint-Michel-Garicoïts du Labourd, in the diocese of Bayonne. It remains a symbol of local identity, linked to the history of pilgrims, artisans and conflicts that marked the Basque Country. Its classification protects a religious, historical and architectural heritage, a witness to the social and political developments of the region.

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