Escaladieu Abbey

On the road between Capvern and the historic spa town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre is the wonderfully calming Escaladieu Abbey. It was built at the confluence of the Luz and Arros rivers near Mauvezin Castle for Cistercian monks, who had left the monastery at Capadur around 1140 to found their own abbey.

From the 12th to the 14th centuries the abbey flourished. It became the burial place for the independent counts of Bigorre from the 13th century and was also a regular place of worship for pilgrims from all Christendom rallying to the by now internationally famous Santiago de Compostella route.

Built in the simple Romanesque-Cistercian style, the cloister included a sacristy, refectory, kitchen, and scriptorium. The nave of the abbey had six bays, one of which was destroyed when the abbey was plundered and set alight by protestant forces in 1518 as part of the systematic destruction prevalent during the 16th-century Wars of Religion.

More favourable times befell the abbey in the 17th century when considerable restoration work was carried out and today all the east buildings of Escaladieu Abbey remain intact, including the 12th-century chapter house, where the monks gathered to read the rule of St. Benoit, and the scriptorium, where they copied and illuminated manuscripts.

The site is now open to visitors throughout the year and also provides an idyllic setting for the many concerts that are held here during the summer.

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Address :	65130 Bonnemazon
Telephone :	+33 (0)562 391697