Remigia Echarren Aranguren. Pamplona, 1853-1921
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Intrepid equilibrist from Pamplona who astounded citizens with her act, crossing the river Arga on a tightrope, very close to this place, the Plaza de Toros bullring, the Plaza del Castillo square and other attractions beyond our borders. Going by the stage name of Mademoiselle Agostini, from the highest point she enjoyed the right to be who she wanted to be, earning her the moniker of "queen of the Arga".
Thanks to her unique profession and remarkable personality, Remigia Echarren was one of those women who stood out for being way ahead of her time. For almost all her life Remigia was immersed in the world of show business and fantasy, circus and magic. And, to add fantasy to the world, she even invented a stage name: Mademoiselle Agostini.
Although it is not known when she first performed in the city of Pamplona, her birthplace, we do know that during the San Fermín festival of 1882 "La Echarren" as she was called, was one of the main attractions in the bull ring with her act which consisted in crossing the ring from one side to the other on a tightrope fixed to the roof. Pío Baroja was one of the amazed spectators who saw her that year. This woman was not afraid of anything! Among the attractions offered during the San Fermín festival of 1883, particular mention should be made of her feat to cross the river Arga at a height of ten metres, opposite the machine at
the Pinaquy factory. What's more, she did so with some small wicker baskets on her feet and retracing her path blindfolded. The free show drew a huge audience, which was flabbergasted by her acts, and she received requests to perform year after year. She also conquered the Plaza del Castillo square, in the Pamplona city centre. In its generosity, the City Hall gave her a donation of 500 pesetas to thank her for her performances.
Premin de Iruña, a pseudonym for Ignacio Baleztena, even mentioned that: “On this memorable day, the remarkable, intrepid, Pamplona-born Remigia Echarren was proclaimed queen of the Arga, Aragoa, Runa, or whatever you would like to call the river that waters the market gardens of the Rochapea. Remigia Echarren is known in the world of the circus (…) by the stage name of Mlle. Agustini”.
The daringness of this funambulist was also reported in the local press. The “Lau-buru” newspaper described the audacious feat as follows: "the performance took place at the part of the river that is adjacent to the Pinaquy factory, at a quarter to seven in the evening. One quarter of an hour earlier, our distinguished fellow countrywoman set out for that spot in an open cart....headed by the band from the Casa de Misericordia (almshouse). At the same time, thousands of people started to come out through the Tejería gateway in the city walls and progressively found a place in the area around the river, so that the small esplanade on the left bank of the river Arga and the riparian area called Beloso was really lively.
The tightrope walker got ready to start her crossing, the public remained silent for a few moments and, three minutes later, Agustini calmly reached the other side of the river, across which the tightrope had been stretched at a height of some ten meters. The equilibrist put her feet in some small wicker baskets and, once this footwear had been suitably secured, she crossed the river with true calmness, reaching the end of her risky journey four minutes later".
Her skills made her famous beyond these borders. The river Pisuerga in Valladolid and the estuary of Bilbao were other stages on which she demonstrated her circus skills. She worked intensely between 1885 and 1892, the year in which she had an accident in Ondárroa when working on the tightrope with a chair at aheight of fifteen metres. She suffered a number of fractures which put an end to her working and professional life. However, despite this, she still performed in Pamplona in 1904. At the end of her life, like the greatest performers in history, she was reduced to utter destitution. The lottery tickets she sold in the streets did not take her out of poverty.
S. FERNÁNDEZ, P. RODA, A. DIEZ DE URE, S. PINILLOS (1998). ELLAS, las mujeres en la historia de Pamplona. City Council of Pamplona. Pages 198 and 199.