Abbatiale de Saint-Savin-en-Lavedan

Saint-Savin

The abbey stands on the probable site of an ancient castrum, the "Palatium Aemilianum". It bears the name of Savin, a young man born in Barcelona who, trained at the monastery of Ligugé in Poitou, chose the solitude of the Pyrenees: tradition relates that he lived for thirteen years as a hermit at Pouey-Aspé, in an austere existence punctuated by miracles. The monastery, attested at least from the 10th century, was plundered and burnt by the Norsemen in 841, then richly endowed in 945 by Count Raymond I of Bigorre; its union in 1080 with the powerful abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille restored discipline there. Its domain extended as far as the thermal springs of Cauterets. The earthquake of 21 June 1660 struck the Bigorre, followed by another in 1854; restoration was ordered as early as 1855 at the urging of Prosper Mérimée. Monastic life died out around 1790 and the church became a parish church in 1791. At Pouey-Aspé, the chapel rebuilt on the site of the hermitage was blessed on 12 October 1862, and a Mass is still celebrated there every October. A literary tradition, by way of Pulci's "Morgante", even has Roland pass through the abbey.

Getting there : Village about 3 km south of Argelès-Gazost; the abbey church, now the parish church, is open during the day; the chapel of the hermitage of Pouey-Aspé is reached on foot (about 1 h 30 of walking).

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound