Hautes-Pyrénées A brief history... In the VIIIth century, the remains of a fortified place controlling three of the seven Lavedan valleys subsisted on the current site of Saint-Savin abbey, hosting a religious community. According to legend, Savin set up his hermitage near by. When he died, the monks were granted the right to transfer his body to the monastery. Attracted by his reputation for holiness and his miracles, believers began coming to the site, bringing with them donations. In 945, the counts of Bigorre contributed to restore the abbey. The abbey built the present church in the XIIth century. Pillaged during the wars of religion then gradually left to fall into rack and ruin, the abbey became state property at the time of the French Revolution. The church, a listed historical monument, was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1854, and owes the beginnings of its restoration to Prosper Mérimée, then inspector general of historical monuments.

Romanesque treasures Built in the XIIth century in the shape of a Latin cross, Saint-Savin's Romanesque part is made of yellow and grey stones. In the XIVth century, a strange bell tower with a conical top was added, made of rubble masonry and stone. The west-facing doorway is a magnificent and unadulterated full-centre arch with nine arch mouldings, supported by columns. The tympanum, also Romanesque but unfortunately damaged, represents Christ surrounded by the four Evangelists. Only the chapter house remains of the monastery, used up to the XIXth century as stables. You can still see the gemel windows, the capitals and the central columns of black marble decorated with acanthus leaves and symbolic animals such as lambs and snakes.

Another Romanesque curiosity: the social outcasts' holy water basin ("bénitier des cagots"). Carved in granite, two characters symbolise these unfortunate pariahs of medieval society in the Béarn, rejected for currently unknown reasons and allowed to attend Mass only through a low window at the back of the nave. Finally, there is an interesting collection of furniture and religious objects including two remarkable Romanesque statues of the Virgin and child in polychrome wood.

The miracles of Saint Savin Son of a count of Barcelona, Savin wanted to dedicate his life to God at a very early age. He became a monk in France, where he was sent to the community then established where the current village of Saint-Savin stands. The monk decided to isolate himself further up the mountain, living there for thirteen austere years of prayer marked by several miracles: water sprang from a rock when he needed water; he gave milk to a mother to feed her starving child; a man had become blind after fighting Savin but recovered his sight after bowing down before his body… Savin's tomb -a Romanesque-style sarcophagus in black marble- is currently the church's altar.

		Abbatiale de Saint-Savin 2, place du Castet 65 400 Saint-Savin-En-Lavedan 05 62 97 02 23	Visiting times May to October: daily from 10-12 and 2.30-7pm.

Access: 3 km from Argelès-Gazost on the D101