SJPdP wasn't always "the start of the Camino." Only after Father Elías drew the Camino Francés in 1984 and painted its first yellow arrows, and after Brierley wrote his book, did the French town become somewhat of a starting point, replacing Roncesvalles in Spain.

Today, it mostly lives from Pilgrim traffic, a stark contrast to its history as a Navarre border town, switching frequently between Spain and France and serving as an important hideout and supply station for Basque separatists planning attacks in Spain.