Église Saint-Jacques

The church of Saint-Martin was first built between 1468 and 1472 on a site opposite the castle of Pau. In the 19th century, the church was too small for the population of Pau and was replaced in 1871 by a new church located a little further east. It was therefore decided to demolish the old church in 1885. The church tower was partially destroyed in 1794, then rebuilt in wood in 1805 before being completely rebuilt when the new Saint-Martin church was built. The new building is of neo-Gothic architecture with a Byzantine influence.

The sanctuaries of Lourdes are the largest Catholic pilgrimage centre in France. The origin of this pilgrimage goes back to the vision of Bernadette Soubirous, who declared that she had seen the Virgin eighteen times since 1858. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary was built from 1883 to 1889 on the plans of Léopold Hardy and consecrated in 1901. The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was consecrated in 1876; and the Basilica of Saint Pius X in 1958.

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.