Bastide de Barcelonne-du-Gers

Barcelonne-du-Gers

On the borders of the Gers and the Landes, Barcelonne-du-Gers is a late Gascon bastide, built in 1316 by a paréage between King Philip V the Tall and the prior of Saint-Gilles, represented on the spot by the Count of Armagnac and the Hospitallers of St John, who already held the hospital of Causset there. First called La Bastide, the town took in 1343 the name of Barcelone, borrowed from the great Catalan city as a pledge of prosperity. Burnt by Montgomery in 1569, destroyed to nine-tenths by the Leaguers in 1591, it was each time rebuilt. The ramparts have gone, but the central square of La Garlande still hosts the livestock fairs, and the 16th-century church of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel dominates the village. The washhouse is one of the largest in the department.

Getting there : Free access to the village and to the place de la Garlande. Livestock fairs on the square, Landes cow races at Palm Sunday and in July according to Wikipedia; opening times not documented.

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

Ambient sound