Notre Dame de l'Assomption

This is a typical church in Lapurdi. It has a white facade and a beautiful wooden gallery inside. According to ancient tradition, it had to be oriented toward the east. Like most churches in the French Basque country, it's adjacent to the pediment, the cemetery and the city, where most people made their social life. Thus, dead and life were closely related. This is probably why you have to cross the cemetery in order to enter the church. In the middle of the church there is a small boat hanging, which recalls the close relationship that Bidart has with the sea. What is most striking in the church, apart from the typical wooden gallery, is all the wood surrounding the altar.