CHÂTEAU SAINTE-MARIE

About

Former priory of Barège dedicated to Sainte-Marie, it stands on a hillock which overhangs the valleys. It is likely that it was erected by the Count of Bigorre Centulle III in the 12th century to strengthen his authority over the people of Barège and to find a shelter in case of aggression on their part. The royal enquiry of 1300 requested by King Philippe le Bel specifies that the count devoted seven sols tournois for the maintenance of the châtelain and four men of guard. At that time, Jean de Soubile held the castle on behalf of the Queen of Navarre, wife of Philip the Fair. During the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360, the castle was occupied by an English garrison and a new lord was appointed in 1384 by letters patent of King Richard II. In 1404, besieged and burned, the castle was retaken by the Count of Clermont, Jean de Bourbon, at the head of 300 men-at-arms and 150 crossbowmen. The English were driven out. Jean de Bourbon was helped by the inhabitants of the valley of Barèges who rose up against the English Seneschal over a disagreement about grazing land and were commanded by one of their own named Augé de Coufite de Luz. The functions of the châtellenie probably ceased at that time. At the end of the 16th century, the lord of Ossun declared it a ruined wall and in the 17th century it was referred to as a hovel. It then belonged to the abbey of Saint-Savin. At the Revolution, it was sold as national property. The towers were then used as a hayloft. Today, its restoration by the Agence des Bâtiments de France has halted the process of deterioration: the surrounding wall and towers have been consolidated and the outside area landscaped. Today, there are two solid defensive towers, a round tower and a square keep, whose walls are built, like all the remaining vestiges of the castle, in pebbles and squared stones (except for the edges of the keep and the frames, which are in cut stone). One has from this place a very beautiful panoramic sight on the valleys of the gave of Pau and Bastan. Its access is free and is done on foot from the villages of Esquièze-Sère or Esterre.
The summer of 2019 saw the birth of an event that was a great success in the castle: the Medieval Esterre. See you in early August to vibrate to the rhythm of this great medieval festival!
Sources: Seven Valleys Study Society. Traduction automatique par DeepL via DATAtourisme

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