'Somport' (known also as 'Aspe Pass', 'Canfranc Pass', 'Puerto del Somport', and 'Col du Somport') (el. 1632 m.) is a
mountain pass in the central
Pyrenees on the border of
France and
Spain. The pass, whose name is derived from the Latin ''Summus portus'', was one of the most popular routes for crossing the mountains for soldiers, merchants, and
St. James pilgrims taking the
route from Arles from the city of
Oloron-Sainte-Marie in the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''
département'' down into
Aragon.
Military history
There is recorded evidence of both the
Vandals and the
Visigothic invaders having used the relatively facile entrance to Spain from France in the fourth and fifth centuries, respectively. The
Roman road constructed here, known as the
Via Tolosana, was also used by
Muslim invaders in the eighth century in their futile attempt to conquer France. The pass was fortified in the 16th century by the
Hapsburgs in fear of French invasion, which however would not occur until the
Peninsular War and the arrival of
Napoleon's general
Louis Gabriel Suchet in 1808. He was later followed by Colonel
Leonard Morin who records in his Memoirs of the 5th Regiment (1812-13) both the danger of the pass and the horrible existence of the population of
Canfranc. The French would leave by the same road after their defeat by General
Francisco Espoz y Mina in 1814.
Pilgrimage history
This was arguably the most popular Pyrenaic pass for pilgrims on the
Way of St. James until the pacification of
Navarran and
Basque bandits in the 12th century made the relatively easier
Roncesvalles road safer for pilgrims. There is little of interest at the pass, except for the modern ''Ermita del Pilar'' (1992) and of course the natural beauty of the mountains. From this point to
Santiago de Compostela it is approximately 840 km.
Modern history
A railroad line linking
Canfranc, Spain with
Pau, France opened to traffic in 1928 but was closed due to a freight-train accident 27 March 1970. More recently the 8.6km-long Somport Tunnel under the Pyrenees was opened on 7 February, 2003 with a cost of nearly 160 million euros for the Spanish side and approximately 91.5 million euros for the French. The building of the tunnel was somewhat controversial, particularly in France, with those opposing it claiming that it would effectively destroy the natural beauty of the Aspe Valley (
Vallée d'Aspe). They wished instead for the reopening of the Pau-Canfranc rail line.
French deputy
Jean Lassalle made headlines on 3 June 2003 when he interrupted the
French National Assembly by singing the "love song"
Se Canto, protesting Minister of the Interior
Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement of the moving of 23
gendarmes guarding the Somport Tunnel to the town of
Oloron-Sainte-Marie from neighbouring
Urdos where their wives would probably be bored. Lassalle viewed this as offensive to the residents of Urdos.
Sports
There is a
cross-country ski trail that goes 35km around the pass, shared by Spain and France. Part of the route belongs to the Spanish
ski resort of
Candanchú.
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