Castle

Travel through a thousand years of history

Standing majestically on its rocky peak, the fortified castle dominates the town of Lourdes and offers an exceptional panorama of the Marian Sanctuary and the Pyrenees.

With over a thousand years of history, this great stone vessel invites you to travel through the centuries.

Due to numerous destructive sieges in 1374 and 1573, most of the archives have disappeared, but the castle's long history leaves traces of its occupation on its walls.

Listed as a Historic Monument in 1995, the castle is of exceptional military interest. Its role as a defensive and barrier to trade routes, particularly to Spain, allowed it to develop a series of defensive elements from the 11th to the 19th century (keep, drawbridge, portcullis, watchtowers, enclosures, and artillery platform).

Refuge castle - Fortress castle

During the conquest of Gaul, the Romans were certainly the first to take advantage of the strategic position of the rocky peak.

Residence of the Counts of Bigorre in the 11th and 12th centuries, this impregnable castle served mainly as a refuge for the population of Lourdes, spared during various conflicts such as the Albigensian Crusade or the Wars of Religion.

This strategically located stronghold was a symbolic territorial issue that several lords fought over during various conflicts. During the Hundred Years' War, with the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360, the fortress was ceded to King Edward III of England. Under English rule, a garrison, the "Companions of Lourdes," was established at the castle.

In the 19th century, the Military Engineers transformed the castle into barracks. They gave a new look to this military architecture and added numerous buildings, including the powder magazine.

Prison castle "the Bastille of the Pyrenees"

In 1590, under the reign of Henry IV, the castle became a royal domain. From the reign of Louis XIV onward, it was used as a royal prison, known as the Bastille des Pyrénées. The king had his opponents imprisoned there with a simple lettre de cachet, and then it became a state prison until the French Revolution.

At the same time, the role of stronghold was not abandoned. A governor was at the head of a military garrison to ensure the protection of the territory.

Castle museum

In 1894, the city of Lourdes bought the fortified castle, which had been declassified from military use, and aimed to transform it into a museum.

In 1921, the Pyrenees Museum was created under the leadership of Louis and Margalide Le Bondidier. Passionate about the Pyrenees, they bring together collections on mountain history and cultures from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century.

Today, the City of Lourdes still owns the fortress and manages the heritage and tourist site of the Pyrenean Castle-Museum.