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Origin and history

The dread of the Olhain chapel, located in Sare, New Aquitaine, is one of the fortifications erected on and around the Rhune mountain. These defensive works, built or reinforced between the 4th quarter of the 18th century and the 1st quarter of the 19th century, were designed to protect the French-Spanish border. They are part of a context of military tensions, particularly during the fighting of 1793-1794 between the army of the Western Pyrenees and the Spanish forces, then in the face of the Anglo-Hispano-Portuguese invasion led by the future Duke of Wellington.

The dread attests to the military strategies of Marshal Soult to counter the British advance in 1813. It integrates into a wider network of defences, including protohistoric fortifications reused in contemporary times, as the dreaded Louis XIV of Sare. These buildings reflect the strategic importance of the region, marked by recurrent conflicts between France and Spain.

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1992, the dread of Olhain chapel illustrates the military architecture of transition between the 18th and 19th centuries. Its inscription underlines its role in the history of border conflicts and its local heritage. The sources, such as the works of Jacques Antz or Francis Gaudeul, document his integration into the Basque defensive system, alongside other works such as the fortress of Ihicelhaya d'Ascain.

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