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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Pierre church, located in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, is dedicated to Saint Pierre and attached to the diocese of Bayonne. Built at the end of the 15th century, it was rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries and is distinguished by its imposing dimensions (30 m long, 15 m wide and high) and its bell tower comparable to those of the neighbouring churches of Ascain and Sare. Its exterior architecture includes buttresses, a sundial, two gargoyles, and a stream passing under the building. Inside, a nave surrounded by a wooden stand on three levels houses stained glass windows representing St Paul, St Peter, St Mark and St Luke.

The choir houses a large 18th century altarpiece, adorned with a central statue of St Peter framed with bas-reliefs evoking his life, surmounted by a Crucifixion. The vault in the shape of a Saint-Jacques shell recalls the passage of pilgrims to Compostela by Saint-Pée. The organ, built by Joseph Merklin in 1886 and modified in 1977, as well as 83 funerary slabs (a date of 1507 of which was before the ground), bear witness to its rich heritage. The building, registered in 2014 and classified in 2015, also honours the memory of Theophile Bonnet, a native missionary of the village, via a commemorative plaque under the porch.

The church is linked to two local personalities: Theophile Bonnet (1921-1961), martyr in Vietnam, and Jean Larregain (1888-1942), vicar apostolic in China, both baptized in this place. Its historical role is in the context of Basque pilgrimage churches, marked by the influence of the Compostela route and architecture adapted to the Pyrenean reliefs.

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