Abbey Saint-Sever-de-Rustan

The first Christian basilica in Tarbes was probably built at the end of the 4th century. In 844, the Normans ravaged Gascony: the city and its church were destroyed, the episcopal seat abandoned. It was not until the 11th century that a new cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The texts then tell us about the cathedral of Sainte-Marie- de-la-Sède (from the Latin sedes: the seat, i. e. the place of residence of the bishop) or Sainte-Marie-de-Bigorre. The cathedral was completely rebuilt between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century. The construction site, spread over a hundred years, was built from east to west. The choir and arms of the transept were built in Romanesque style. Along with Saint-Sever-de-Rustan, Saint-Orens-en-Lavedan and Saint-Savin-en-Lavedan, Tarbes Cathedral is one of the four most important Romanesque churches in Bigorre.

The church of Saint-Martin is located in Orignac in Occitanie (Midi-Pyrénées). It is built on a hillock that was the site of an old defensive enclosure from the 12th and 13th centuries. The church, in its present form, dates from the 15th or 16th centuries. The building has a beautiful roof with five pinnacles, that is topped with a bell tower. Inside the church you can see the remarkable woodwork of the Ferrère brothers and several classified objects, including a beautiful ciborium.

The Saint-Julien church is located in Mouchès, in Midi-Pyrénées (Occitanie). This pre-Romanesque church, with originally built to a cruciform plan, is surrounded by high walls. Its single two span nave was vaulted with ogives in the 19th century, and has been entirely redecorated: paneling, woodwork, decor of false stones. Stained-glass windows enlighten the building. The font, dug in a beautiful white marble capital is especially notable, as well as the beautiful wooden altar-tomb, painted green to look like marble.