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Around Pau-Pyrénées
Chapelle de Caubin (Arthez-de-Béarn) An Arlésien built this chapel after the wars of Religion with its flat tiled roof, which is so untypical of Béarn. The nave reflects an armour-covered recumbent statue.. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP Larreule The transept, chancel and Romanesque capitals are remnants of the Benedictine Abbey which was established here in the 10th century. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP Morlaàs Sainte-Foy church was under construction when the viscounts of Béarn gave it to the abbey of Cluny in 1079. The nave, aisles, chevet and western portal all date from this era. The remarkable portal was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt in the late 19th century.
Lacommande The Saint Blaise Church is comprised of a modest nave and a hemispherical apse from the 12th century, together with a 13th-century chapel. Note the interesting disk-shaped stele in the neighbouring 18th century cemetery and a former commandery hospital, which is now a concert and exhibition centre.
Sauvelade Sauvelade church was built in the shape of a Greek cross. The northern intercept features a small column, possibly from the Gallo-Roman age. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP Taron The Assumption church was built on the southern wing of a Gallo-Roman villa gallery dating from the 10th or 11th century. The chapel and bell-tower date from the 12th century. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP The castles and Febusian fortifications Montaner It was Gaston Febus himself who ordered that this castle be built in 1373. Demolished in the 19th century, it was restored by volunteers in the 20th. Saint-Michel church features original and renovated frescoes from the late 15th-early 16th centuries.
Morlanne The Count of Foix, the half-brother of Gaston Febus, built Morlanne castle in 1373. Modernised in the 16th century and again restored a few years ago, the castle contains a remarkable collection of furniture, paintings, and tapestries. It also features a fortified church from the 14th and 15th centuries.
Sanctuaries and interesting Churches Bétharram The Baroque church – a rarity in Béarn – houses a superb collection of paintings. Its way of the cross is also listed
Bosdarros The heart of Bosdarros church is torn between Gothic architecture, as can be seen by the two internal porches, and Romanesque architecture. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP Lasseube A fabulous flamboyant Gothic portal stands to the south of the 16th-century church. The main street has an array of wonderful Renaissance façades. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP Monein Saint-Girons church is Béarn’s finest example of Gothic art. Its framework in the shape of a ship's overturned hull, is unique in France.
Lucq-de-Béarn Lucq-de-Béarn church – featuring a nave and aisles – was built in 1020. Renovated in the 16th century, its sculpted capitals remain intact as does the splendid Paleo-Christian sarcophagus. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP Notre-Dame-de-Piétat From here you have a perfect view of the Pyrenees and the coasts. The chapel dates from the 17th century and was restored in the 19th. It is a place of pilgrimage for worshippers of the Virgin Mary.
Walled towns Nay This magnificent 16th-century flamboyant portal opens out onto the Saint-Vincent church. The church was ravaged by fire in 1543, and only one of the 12th century porches survived. Another site worth visiting in Nay is the square house and its three floors looking onto an inner court.
Bruges This walled city takes its name from the ‘Venice of Flanders’. It was from here that Gaston Febus set off for Prussia. When he founded the walled town in 1357, his lieutenant-general, Bertrand de Puyols, named it Bruges to commemorate their expedition. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP Bougarber A fortified door, a remnant from the walled town which was built here in 1380. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAP Lestelle Lestelle was also a walled town, founded by Gaston II de Foix-Béarn, the father of Gaston Febus, in 1335. The central square set between two long streets is a hallmark of such walled towns.
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