St. Martin's Church, Ahetze

St. Martin's Church, Ahetze French: église Saint-Martin d'Ahetze Basque: San Martin eliza (Ahetze)
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Province	Diocese of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron
Rite	Roman
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Parish church
Status	Active
Location
Location	Ahetze, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France
Geographic coordinates	43°24′21″N 1°34′17″W / 43.40583°N 1.57139°W / 43.40583; -1.57139
Architecture
Type	church
Groundbreaking	16th century

St. Martin's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Ahetze, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It was registered as an official Historical Monument on June 5, 1973.^[1]

St. Martin Church is located at a crossing point of the Way of St. James. Its construction started in the 16th century. It contains an 18th-century wooden statue of St. James^[2] in pilgrim clothing, an 18th-century statue of the Assumption of Mary,^[3] an 18th-century altarpiece^[4] and a 15th-century processional cross.^[5] The arms of this cross are garnished with small bells. During a witch trial in 1609, this cross was considered as a diabolical object by Councillor Pierre de Lancre.^[6]

The cemetery of the church features a disc-shaped stele. Another stele from Ahetze is exhibited at the Basque Museum, Bayonne.

• 
  The church
• 
  The bell tower seen from the village
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  The bell tower
• 
  The apse
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  The entrance of the church
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  The altar with Jesus Christ and two pilgrims
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  Detail of the altarpiece: the Annunciation
• 
  The Notre-Dame du Scapulaire, Mater purissima stained-glass window
• 
  A disc-shaped stele
• 
  The choir of the church

• 64009 - Ahetze - Église Saint-Martin (in French), Clochers de France
• Observatoire du Patrimoine religieux (in French)