At a glance
Soule (Zuberoa in Basque) is a world apart. At the eastern end of the French Basque Country (Iparralde), bordered by Béarn to the north and east, Lower Navarre to the west and Navarre to the south, it has developed its own culture and dialect — Souletin (zuberera).
With about 17,000 inhabitants (17,018 in 2012), it is one of the least populated territories of Euskal Herria, and the most sparsely populated in Iparralde. There is just one small town (Mauléon-Licharre, nearly 3,000 inhabitants), along with farming villages, the Saison valley (Uhaitza) and a cultural heritage whose richness is inversely proportional to its size.
A little history
- Middle Ages: Soule becomes a viscounty; Guillaume Fort (William the Strong) is its first known viscount (1023).
- 1261–1449: English rule.
- 1449: Gaston IV of Foix takes Mauléon for the French Crown.
- Ancien Régime: the Cour de Licharre (Court of Licharre) dispenses justice for the whole of Soule. The Revolution abolishes the last local liberties.
- 19th–20th centuries: heavy emigration — Soule lost more than three-quarters of its population in a century.
- 20th century: Mauléon becomes the espadrille capital, an industry that employed more than 3,000 workers before declining from the 1970s in the face of Chinese competition, followed by a shift to new activities (aerospace subcontracting, livestock farming, rural tourism).
Must-see sights
- Kakuetta gorges (Sainte-Engrâce) — a canyon nearly 4 km long, with walls 30 to 350 m high, a waterfall of around 20 metres and a cave at the end of the trail. The site was closed to the public after a fatal accident in August 2020: check before you go.
- Ehujarré Gorges (Sainte-Engrâce) — reached by waymarked paths.
- Sainte-Engrâce — a Romanesque church founded in 1085 by the Abbey of Leyre, listed as a historic monument (monument historique) in 1841 and famous for its carved capitals.
- Irati forest — about 17,000 ha straddling the border, the second-largest beech and fir forest in Europe by area.
- La Pierre-Saint-Martin — on the edge of Soule, in the Béarn municipality of Arette: a chasm discovered in 1950 and one of the deepest caves in France (1,342 m); the Salle de la Verna (Verna Chamber), on the Sainte-Engrâce side, is open to visitors.
- Mauléon Castle — a fortified castle dating back to the 11th century, overlooking the town.
- Barcus, Tardets, Larrau, Sainte-Engrâce — Souletin villages with stone houses and frontons.
- Church of Saint-Blaise in L’Hôpital-Saint-Blaise — a mid-12th-century Romanesque church with Hispano-Moorish influences, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1998) as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela.
Main towns
- Mauléon-Licharre (Maule) — capital, espadrilles, fortified castle
- Tardets-Sorholus (Atharratze) — the heart of Soule, masquerades
- Sainte-Engrâce (Santa Grazi) — gorges and Romanesque art
- Larrau (Larraine) — gateway to Iraty
Must-try food and drink
- Ossau-Iraty PDO (AOP) sheep’s cheese — dairy sheep farming remains a major activity in Soule
- Gâteau basque
Living traditions
- Souletin masquerades (mascarades) — winter carnival festivities, with traditional dances and sermons.
- The Souletin pastorale — folk theatre sung and danced in Basque, performed in summer, with performances lasting more than four hours.
Curiosities and anecdotes
- Mauléon was the espadrille capital: the industry once employed more than 3,000 workers, compared with around a hundred jobs in 2018.
- 81% of Souletins describe themselves as Basque, the highest rate in Iparralde.
- The Pierre-Saint-Martin chasm was discovered in 1950 by Georges Lépineux, who had noticed a draught of air blowing out of a hole.
- The Cour de Licharre judged the whole of Soule; appeals went to Dax, then to the seneschal of Guyenne.
Photographing Soule
- Kakuetta gorges — soft light between the rock walls (check whether the site is open)
- Irati forest in October — copper beeches, mossy undergrowth, a sea of clouds from the ridges
- Sainte-Engrâce — the isolated church in its mountain setting, a solemn atmosphere
- Masquerades in winter — costumes and dances
- Summit of the Pic d’Orhy (2,017 m) — the first ‘2,000er’ in the Pyrenees coming from the Atlantic
- Mauléon Castle at sunset