Sorde Abbey, located on the Tours route, is an essential milestone in the discovery of the pilgrimage heritage in the Landes.
A local pilgrimage centre in the Middle Ages, Sorde Abbey attracted pilgrims who came to pray near the treasure of relics kept in its abbey church. It was also a major stopover for pilgrims before the often perilous crossing of the Gave d’Oloron, as evidenced by Book V of the Codex Calextinus, written in the 12th century to the glory of Saint James. The abbaey also had a hospital built stradding the way, l'Espitaou, to ensure the care and hospitality of the poor and pilgrims.
Today, the village maintains the tradition of hospitality by welcoming pilgrims of all nationalities in a 3-star gîte !
The roads to Compostela in New Aquitaine and in the Landes
It is in our region, at the gateway to Spain, that the four main current routes to Santiago converge. With 26 monuments and a section of the route inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, these routes are an essential part of New Aquitaine.
The crossing of the Landes on the Tours route-GR®655 extends over 150 kilometres and takes pilgrims from the village of Le Muret to Sorde-l’Abbaye, passing through Moustey, Labouheyre, Onesse-et-Laharie, Lesperon, Taller, Gourbera, Saint-Paul-les-Dax and Dax.
Of the four Grande randonnée trails leading to Santiago de Compostela, the GR®655-Via Turonensis is the most notherly. Starting in Brussels, the northern part of the route was mainly used by people from the north and north-east of Europe to reach the famous shrine of saint-Martin de Tours. The route passes through basilicas, such as those of Saint-Quentin and Saint-Denis, and the most famous cathedrals : Noyon, Senlis, Paris, Chartres, Orléans and Tours
After Dax and Saint-Pandelon, the Pays d’Orthe and Arrigans area marks the last stages of the Landes region before entering the northern Basque country towards Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Between Saint-Palais and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the Tours route-GR®655 joins the Vézelay route-GR®654, then the Puy route-GR®65 and finally the Piedmont route-GR®78. The crossing of the Pyrenees is made by the Roncevaux pass following the end of the Le Puy route-GR®65.
Accomodations for pilgrims in Pays d’Orthe et Arrigans
The route chosen by the Société landaise des Amis de Saint-Jacques et d’études compostellanes (Landes Association of Saint James'Friends and Compostela Studies) passes through Cagnotte, then Saint-Cricq-du-Gave and Sorde-l’Abbaye, three villages that welcome passing pilgrims in their gîtes. The deviation via Peyrehorade does not pass through Sorde l'Abbaye.
- CAGNOTTE - Refuge de l'abbaye - Chemin de Compostelle - 40300 Cagnotte
For more information : gîte details
- SAINT-CRICQ-DU-GAVE - Gîte du pèlerin - 74 rue du Barrail - 40300 Saint-Cricq-du-Gave
For more information : gîte details
- SORDE-L'ABBAYE - Gîte jacquaire - 92 rue Juzan - 40300 Sorde-l'Abbaye
For more information : gîte détails
Find out more :
- L'Agence des Chemins de Compostelle/ACIR : 4 rue Clémence Isaure 31000 TOULOUSE - Tel : 05 62 27 00 05 - www.chemins-compostelle.com
- La Société landaise des Amis de Saint-Jacques et d'études compostellanes : 2 rue Augustin Lesbazeilles 40000 Mont de Marsan - Tel : 05 58 93 38 33 - www.compostelle-landes.org
- Les amis de Saint-Jacques dans les Pyrénées-Atlantiques : www.aucoeurduchemin.org
