Col de la Pierre-Saint-Martin et tribut des Trois Vaches

Arette

Every 13 July, on the col de la Pierre-Saint-Martin, on the border between Béarn and Navarre, a rite is replayed that is presented as the oldest treaty still in force in Europe. The mayors of six communes of the Barétous valley and the alcaldes of four communes of the Roncal valley meet near marker 262. The alcalde of Isaba asks the Béarn mayor three times whether he is ready to pay the tribute, and he answers ‘si señor’. Then all place the right hand on the marker and ‘Pax avant’ is proclaimed, peace henceforth. According to the inventory of intangible heritage, the ceremony recalls the sentence of Ansó of 1375, which ended two years of violence born in 1373 from a shepherds' quarrel over the water and pastures of the pic d'Arlas. The sentence says that the people of Barétous already gave cows. According to the tradition reported by Wikipedia EN, a four-eared Barétous chief, a cagot, was killed in the battle. The oldest trace of the ceremony dates from 1477. Today a cheque replaces the heifers; in exchange, the shepherds of Barétous may graze from 13 July to 9 August on the south slope of the pic d'Arlas. The pass is above all a border place where a peace is renewed each summer.

Getting there: Free: a road climbs to the pass (built in the 1960s on the Spanish side, then linked on the French side when the ski resort of Arette-La Pierre-Saint-Martin was built). On 13 July the ceremony is public and very well attended; the time varies depending on the sources (around 10 am or around noon), to be checked with the valley's tourist office. Coordinates: pass in OpenStreetMap; the exact position of marker 262 was not verified.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound