The best walks and hikes around Piets-Plasence-Moustrou

The Romanesque chapel was built on the orders of the Viscount of Béarn, Gaston IV, known as the Crusader (1090-1130), upon his return from the First Crusade. It was entrusted to the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem and experienced its heyday until the mid-16th century, when the Wars of Religion broke out. Inside, behind the beautiful Gothic arches, we can see the tomb with the figure of a medieval knight. On the outside, the details of the capitals are worth seeing.

Very nicely laid out rest area with plenty of shade and comfortable seating

The original building was erected in the 12th century near the miraculous spring of Sainte-Quitterie (a virgin martyr very popular in the southwest of France). The spring, rebuilt in 1950, was already a place of pilgrimage before the construction of the parish church (its water was said to heal eye diseases and headaches).

The site of the abbey of Saint-Pierre de LARREULE was of great importance in the history of Béarn. During the formation of the Principality of the Pyrenees, around the 10th century, monks organized the large-scale clearing and development of the land; their abbeys were economic units. Only part of the Romanesque abbey church, built in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 16th century after significant destruction by Protestant troops, remains of the abbey. Three Romanesque capitals as well as several listed statues from the 17th and 18th centuries can still be seen there. As the nave (oriented East-West) was never rebuilt, the old Romanesque transept (oriented North-South) served as the nave from the 17th century onwards, when the west wall was erected to complete the church.

The Romanesque chapel was built on the orders of the Viscount of Béarn, Gaston IV, known as the Crusader (1090-1130), upon his return from the First Crusade. It was entrusted to the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem and experienced its heyday until the mid-16th century, when the Wars of Religion broke out. Inside, behind the beautiful Gothic arches, we can see the tomb with the figure of a medieval knight. On the outside, the details of the capitals are worth seeing. 'La petite église' can be read framed at the entrance of the church.

The Romanesque church was built in the 14th century. The main portal preserves elements from the end of the 12th century, as does the series of corbels that adorn the apse cornice and are characteristic of Romanesque art.

An old manor house in the heart of Béarn, Arzacq-Arraziguet retains the lines of its past with its central square and typical arcades. A short bike ride away, its lake offers a pleasant setting, ideal for a break by the water.

The medieval village of Morlanne, perched on a ridge, houses some beautiful treasures such as its castle, its fortified church, or some beautiful panoramas of the surrounding countryside. It is a choice stopover in the heart of Béarnaise authenticity.