Villeneuve-de-Marsan

Villeneuve-de-Marsan

Villeneuve-de-Marsan, east of Mont-de-Marsan, is, as its name indicates, a new town of the Marsan, the viscounty then held by the viscounts of Béarn under the suzerainty of the king-duke. It is mentioned for the first time in 1272 in the Recogniciones feodorum in Aquitania, a collection of acts of the English administration of Gascony, in which Arnaud-Loup de Lasserre acknowledges that he owes the king-duke dues apud Villannovam; Wikipedia considers the foundation to be distinctly older, and the Liste de bastides gives 1270. The site, well protected on the east by a natural escarpment, had already held an ancient villa, mosaics from which were discovered in 1861. The town keeps the church of Saint-Hippolyte and two weekly markets on its squares, one of them the place des États du Marsan, a reminder of the assemblies of the viscounty. It is a living chef-lieu rather than an intact grid.

Getting there : Free access to the village. Two weekly markets: place des États du Marsan on Wednesday and place de la Liberté on Saturday. No tourist office documented on the spot.

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

Ambient sound