The Oria [ˈoɾja] is a river in the Basque Country at the north of the Iberian Peninsula . It's one of a series of Basque rivers flowing into the Bay of Biscay ( Atlantic basin) and the main river of the province Gipuzkoa in volume (25.6 m/s), length (75 km) and basin (882.5 km), the main feature of these rivers aligned south to north being their shortness. The maximum elevation at the source is 1,260 m, while at its lowest height the tidal influence extends inland up to Usurbil (estuary). On this final stretch, many marsh and wetland strips dotted the banks of the Oria, although some of them have been drained for agricultural and building purposes.
31-531: The river rises at the south of the municipality of Zegama near the hamlet of Otzaurte and the San Adrian tunnel , harvesting the waters of the north-eastern side of the mountain range Aizkorri , so the river results from the merging of several streams. The first town it crosses is the very nucleus of Zegama , with other major towns of Gipuzkoa being located on the river, e.g. Beasain , Ordizia , Tolosa , Andoain , Lasarte-Oria , Usurbil and finally Orio at
62-437: A healthy condition. There exists an unstable trout population downstream of Andoain, while other fish prevail and remain steady, i.e. Cyprinidae such as barbel ( Barbus graellsi ), ezkailu ( Phoxinus phoxinus ) and ray-finned fish ( Chondrostoma toxostoma arrigonis ). A stretch of the estuary by the village Aginaga is known for its baby eels, bred and harvested for human consumption before they grow up, providing for
93-574: A much appreciated and dearly paid delicacy, while they were totally neglected just some decades ago. There are several streams and small rivers flowing into the Oria. The main tributaries are Leitzaran in Andoain and Araxes in Tolosa . 43°17′25″N 2°07′55″W / 43.29028°N 2.13194°W / 43.29028; -2.13194 Zegama Zegama , popularly known as "the shadow of Aizkorri",
124-452: A mutation arguably brought about by scribes and travelers with no knowledge of Basque. The pass itself is attested as Leizarrate at the beginning of the 17th century, while nowadays this naming (in the modern form Lizarrate ) is usually limited to the rock in Spanish, with Basque still retaining the name Lizarrate also with its original meaning – i.e. referring to the tunnel. Originally
155-521: A preferred route for pilgrimage and trade. The status increasingly gained at that time by the San Adrian pass and the way coming south from Gascony down into Gipuzkoa was to have an important impact on the social, economic and constructing development of the population nuclei located on it and around. Yet the heyday of this branch of the Way of St. James was to go on the wane thereafter by an ebb in popularity,
186-642: Is a town and municipality in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa , in the autonomous community of the Basque Country , northern Spain . Zegama's main characteristic is its natural location as the last Gipuzkoan town up the valley of river Oria , very close to the Aizkorri-Aratz Natural Park , in which the highest mountain in the Basque Autonomous Community can be found,
217-612: Is the Zegama-Aizkorri Alpine Marathon [1] , part of the Skyrunner World Series [2] , which is the alpine marathon world championship. This article about a location in the Basque Country, Spain, is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . San Adrian (tunnel) The San Adrian tunnel or Lizarrate represents the most outstanding milestone in the historic inland Basque route of
248-506: The Way of St. James . It consists of a natural cave carved by water erosion in the rock (called Lizarrate , arguably stemming from "leize arrate", 'the stone gate of the cave') with an opening on either side north and south; it also holds a hermitage inside. The tunnel provides a natural passage dividing the provinces of Gipuzkoa and Álava/Araba (the actual borderline locating at the Alto de la Horca ). The Spanish- Basque linguistic boundary of
279-448: The carriage way exiting Vitoria goes through Salinas, Mondragon, Oñate and Villareal [from Gipuzkoa]", explains the arguably French Basque traveller J.C. Santoyo in 1612. However, this stretch continues to be widely used up to the late 18th century, when the new King's Highway from Madrid to France is built in 1765 and traffic shifts, so spurring the definite decay of the San Adrian tunnel way. The cave rises at 1,005 m high and it stands in
310-422: The cartographer Jan Janssonius in his Novus Atlas . "The passengers usually carve their names on the thick stones or the rocks, so there are recorded many names with the date of the year they crossed the roughness of these mountains", he adds. In approx. 1567, Jorge Braun conjures up the inside of the tunnel: the nice inn and the good suppers offered to the pilgrims, especially to those who brought money along, and
341-710: The dividing line of the waters running onto the Mediterranean watershed and those flowing north to the Atlantic through the Oria river. The historic Way of St James , namely the stretch called the Tunnel Route, passes through the town, the municipality and the Park since the Middle Ages. Pilgrims exit the town heading south up the slopes, so reaching the San Adrian tunnel after 5 km, where backpackers and hikers may gain access to
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#1732851332227372-612: The flatter, safer and more convenient French Way , the San Adrian tunnel road kept its profile and was much in use as a European route in the 15th, 16th and 17th century; it is worth remembering that the former was in Navarrese territory (definite Castilian conquest of Navarre in 1521), so Castilian kings continued to foster the tunnel route. At this period, evidence and descriptions about the route given by pilgrims and other users coming from Europe grow more frequent. The San Adrian mount and pass are "rugged and difficult for horses", comments
403-541: The fodder supplied to horses, no matter if the travellers were devoid of money. In 1572, J.B. Venturino travelled in the retinue of the patriarch of Alexandria, who crossed the tunnel northwards. The cavern "is dark and frightening", observes, but there he also mentions the hermitage and the house of the governor, responsible for watching the pass, as havens of preaching and safety guarantee for travellers. According to tradition, king Enrique IV of Castile (ruling 1454–1474) and later sister and queen Isabel I of Castile crossed
434-484: The hermitage was dedicated to the "Sancta Trinitate" or Holy Trinity . Yet the word, like many Romance and Latin words, was adapted to Basque by undergoing a reduction along the phonetic rules, described by K. Mitxelena , that ultimately resulted in Sandrati or Sandratei , as locals call it. Other phonetic outputs as attested in place-names close to the area include Sandrati , Santa Tria and variations, especially in
465-466: The lands of Álava/Araba extending south of the mountain range, e.g. Santa Tria (village Audikana), San Tetria (village Contrasta 1556, leftover place-name of a former hermitage otherwise called in Romance San Adrian ). Saint Adrian does not hold a representative position among Basque religious icons, as opposed to the ubiquitous San Martin, San Miguel or San Juan/Donibane, but Saint Adrian
496-414: The lowest point between the towering massifs of Aizkorri and Aratz mounts (1,528 m and 1,442 m respectively). Vast beech forests covered with bucolic brown in autumn abound in the area north and south of the cave, with limestone rocks cropping up more frequently as we gain altitude and approach the cave from the north. The most usual access points for hikers are: Pilgrims coming south from Zegama take
527-404: The lowland being heavily inhabited, while the area of its southernmost stretch is sparsely populated. The banks of the river were intensely industrialized starting in the middle of the 19th century and later; the river grew conspicuously polluted up to the 1980s, with almost all its river fauna becoming extinct. At that point, its environmental situation began to revert, the river showing currently
558-646: The main trade and pilgrimage stream shifting to the more convenient French Way (via Orreaga ). The mountain pass was used for ages by shepherds, as evidenced by prehistoric traces of seasonal cattle migration, dolmens and burial mounds (usually small) in the area. Cattle, especially sheep, keep on grazing up to these days on the steep pastures all around the area of the cave. Place-names associated to alien cultures, such as neighbouring town Zegama or Arakama (commonplace family name in this region), claimed by some scholars to stem from Indo-European, suggest that European peoples may have used this pass. In step with
589-492: The mouth. From Lasarte-Oria to Orio , the sinuous and traffic laden coastal road N-634 winds along. The Oria is a central river and an important axis for the province of Gipuzkoa . The major road A-1 (European route E-5 E-80) runs along the Oria most of the time, as well as the Spanish Northern Railway, right from its rise on the slopes of Aizkorri . Its watershed holds a population of 128,000 inhabitants, most of
620-504: The other one locating in the ancient Oiasso ). A reference of the hermitage and pass of San Adrian in the blurred early ages is provided in Noticias Históricas (by J.A. Llorente ), where the spot is identified (reasonably so, see Name ) as the "Sanctam Trianam" landmark cited as establishing the southern boundaries of the bishopric of Bayonne . Early Medieval Navarrese and Castilian coins and copper buckles have been gathered in
651-531: The plains of Alava , the Urbia fields or the summits of the rugged Aizkorri mountain range. The climate in Zegama is typical of the eastern Cantabrian area, temperate and humid, with an average temperature of around 12 °C. There are around 180 rainy days a year. Autumn can be quite windy. The main economic activities are those related to industry, but agriculture does still exist. Cattle, especially sheep, graze on
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#1732851332227682-400: The popular Aizkorri summit (1,528 m), located at the same name mountain range towering over the whole area. The Oria river, the longest one in the province of Gipuzkoa , rises in several springs and their corresponding streams flowing down the dramatic slopes of the valley that merge in a main stream before the nucleus of the town. The southern Otzaurte hamlet (IPA: /o'tsaurte/) stands on
713-773: The popular name, the "Roman way" (also called by locals estratea [es̺ˈtɾatea] ), some point to the construction of the original roadway by the Romans, with continuous upkeep and renovation in the Middle Ages. At any rate, this stretch is not located on the important axis Bordeaux-Astorga cutting its way east to west through the Alava plains (merging point with the Tunnel Route in Salvatierra/Agurain ). A Roman inscription has been found in Zegama (only two sites discovered so far in Gipuzkoa,
744-479: The sides of the mountainous terrain, following a tradition of millennia, as attested by old traces and megalithic vestiges that bear witness to the activity. The grazing provides the basis for the production of the much appreciated and highly regarded Idiazabal cheese elaborated and labelled as such on the whole Aizkorri-Aratz area and the Basque mountains . The most important event that takes place in Zegama every year
775-515: The territories of Alava and Gipuzkoa from Navarre , Alfonso X encouraged the use of this stretch that connected by land Castile to Gascony through the strip extending from San Sebastian to Irun . With a view to strengthening both trade and military grip in the region, the king founded in 1256 the towns of Salvatierra (Agurain), Segura and Villafranca ( Ordizia ) in various spots of the way, so becoming popular with pilgrims, that could find there shelter and safety. Despite pilgrimage shift to
806-452: The time, highwaymen frequenting the area are dreaded by pilgrims and travellers alike, who were not acquainted with the wild surroundings where local bandits could easily stalk and find a hideout. The care provided inside the tunnel is welcome. Many remember in their travel memoirs the cosy atmosphere found at the inn, the pilgrims singing and the "fat woman" serving them. Above the North entrance of
837-585: The tunnel, confirming that it was frequented in advance of the 13th century. The coastal route was dangerous on account of Viking attacks and raids, while the southern roads, namely the French Way crossing Pamplona/Iruñea , Logroño and on to Burgos was subject to Muslim forays and attacks, which rendered the Alavan lands (and therefore the San Adrian tunnel route) safer and more secure, as "they have always stayed in possession of its inhabitants". After snatching
868-440: The tunnel, the fortress watches and protects the pass, a building that may hold 100 soldiers, as reported by a traveller in the 17th century. Much appreciated water sprung out of the stone wall in the tunnel, as told by a Franciscan in 1633. Meanwhile, other routes grow gradually more important at the expense of the stretch corresponding to the San Adrian tunnel. "The San Adrian pass is good only for people on horse or on foot, since
899-404: The tunnel. Legend has it, on his route from Germany to Spain emperor Charles V first dismounted from the horse at this cave. Since the Middle Ages the tunnel has been a point where tolls are paid on account of its border position. Yet usually at night, when the gate was shut, smugglers skip the tunnel by mounting up the rock North of the tunnel through a very narrow path called Ochoa Arrate . At
930-404: The twentieth century was established in this area, the next village south, Zalduondo , having been predominantly Spanish speaking during that period. Nowadays many hikers cross the tunnel in order to gain access to the nearby peaks, forests and grazing fields, namely Aratz , Aizkorri and Urbia. As so many times in Basque place- and person-names, this name of worship (San Adrian) has undergone
961-532: Was actually much revered in the ways of St James . The name San Adrian thus results from a phonetic interpretation by Romance-speaking people of the Basque name for "Sancta Trinitate". Locals still gather in a celebration on the Trinity Day or following Sunday on an yearly basis. The occurrence and relevance of the tunnel is attested since the 16th century, more so since the 13th, when historic circumstances rendered it