Luz-Saint-Sauveur
Luz-Saint-Sauveur (Lus e Sent Sauvaire) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitania region of south-western France. It lies on the river Bastan, a tributary of the Gave de Pau. Locals simply call it Luz, the city took its current name from Luz-Saint-Sauveur on April 9, 1962. Its inhabitants are called Luzéens and Luzéennes in French. The town features locations of historical heritage such as the church of Saint-André, also known as "Les Templiers", the Château Sainte-Marie or the spa district. Protected by mountains to the east, west and south, and separated from the plain to the north by the Pierrefitte gorge, Luz-Saint-Sauveur is somewhat geographically isolated though it is only a 1⁄2 hour drive from Lourdes.
Templar church
Called "the Templars" (actually Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem), the church of St. Andrew was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. In the 14th century, the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem built walls around the church to protect the inhabitants of Luz from attacks by Spanish bandits called 'irregulars'. At that time, a large ditch surrounded the church, crossed by a drawbridge. A few years later, the chapel Notre-Dame-de-la-Pitié was built inside the ramparts to ask God to put an end to an epidemic of black plague which devastated the country Toy around 1650. In 1865, a new door was added to facilitate entry. It is a listed monument since 1840.
Château Sainte-Marie (ruins)
Perched at the top of a rocky outcrop, the Château Sainte-Marie has over the centuries been a location of strategic importance for the valley and also a place of refuge for the population. It was built in the 10th century by the Counts of Bigorre. In the 14th century, it was the occupied by the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. The castle and valley were in the possession of the English Crown from 1360 until 1404, when an army of the Comte de Clermont, assisted by the inhabitants of the valley and commanded by Aougé de Coufitte, took the castle and drove the English from the valley. The castle was then gradually abandoned. Its restoration was undertaken in the 1980s, thus safeguarding one of the most significant vestiges of the history of the valley. The remains of the Château Sainte-Marie have been listed as historic monuments since October 16, 1930. Although commonly described as being within Luz-Saint-Sauveur, the castle is actually located in the neighboring town of Esterre.
The Solferino chapel
This chapel with its Byzantine tower was rebuilt in 1859 on the orders of Emperor Napoleon III in honour of the victims of the Battle of Solferino, on the ruins of the ancient chapel of St. Peter founded by the Knights Hospitaller in the Middle Ages. For a long time, its priest blessed the herds at the beginning to the high pastures of the mountain.
The Napoleon Bridge Napoleon III fell in love with the Pyrenees and made several stays in the company of Empress Eugenie. His great work at Saint-Sauveur was the realization of an idea that was dear to him: connecting the two banks of the Gavarnie Gave by building a bridge. An "American" and a "wire" design were considered before finally designing a stone bridge of a single arch. Begun immediately, under the leadership of Mr. Bruniquel, Engineer of Roads and Bridges, the work lasted two years and was completed in June 1861. The deck of the bridge is 68 meters in length, and is located 63 m above the Gave. The arch that supports it is 42 m in diameter. The vault rests directly on the steep rocks that border the Gave. The height of the water level at the base of the vault is 40 m; it is 63 m at the keystone and 65 m at the bridge.
To commemorate the memory of the Emperor's stay and its benefits, the Barèges Valley Trade Union Committee erected a column 12 m high, surmounted by a colossal eagle, at the eastern end of the bridge. The column, consisting of 14 rings, is made of Lourdes stone. The eagle was made at the marble factory of Bagneres. The total height, eagle included, is 14 m. The column bears the inscription: "To their imperial Majesties Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie, the inhabitants of LUZ St. SAVIOR is grateful".
The bridge was open to traffic in 1861 and in September 1863, Napoleon III finally inaugurated the bridge.
Templar church
Called "the Templars" (actually Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem), the church of St. Andrew was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. In the 14th century, the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem built walls around the church to protect the inhabitants of Luz from attacks by Spanish bandits called 'irregulars'. At that time, a large ditch surrounded the church, crossed by a drawbridge. A few years later, the chapel Notre-Dame-de-la-Pitié was built inside the ramparts to ask God to put an end to an epidemic of black plague which devastated the country Toy around 1650. In 1865, a new door was added to facilitate entry. It is a listed monument since 1840.
Château Sainte-Marie (ruins)
Perched at the top of a rocky outcrop, the Château Sainte-Marie has over the centuries been a location of strategic importance for the valley and also a place of refuge for the population. It was built in the 10th century by the Counts of Bigorre. In the 14th century, it was the occupied by the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. The castle and valley were in the possession of the English Crown from 1360 until 1404, when an army of the Comte de Clermont, assisted by the inhabitants of the valley and commanded by Aougé de Coufitte, took the castle and drove the English from the valley. The castle was then gradually abandoned. Its restoration was undertaken in the 1980s, thus safeguarding one of the most significant vestiges of the history of the valley. The remains of the Château Sainte-Marie have been listed as historic monuments since October 16, 1930. Although commonly described as being within Luz-Saint-Sauveur, the castle is actually located in the neighboring town of Esterre.
The Solferino chapel
This chapel with its Byzantine tower was rebuilt in 1859 on the orders of Emperor Napoleon III in honour of the victims of the Battle of Solferino, on the ruins of the ancient chapel of St. Peter founded by the Knights Hospitaller in the Middle Ages. For a long time, its priest blessed the herds at the beginning to the high pastures of the mountain.
The Napoleon Bridge Napoleon III fell in love with the Pyrenees and made several stays in the company of Empress Eugenie. His great work at Saint-Sauveur was the realization of an idea that was dear to him: connecting the two banks of the Gavarnie Gave by building a bridge. An "American" and a "wire" design were considered before finally designing a stone bridge of a single arch. Begun immediately, under the leadership of Mr. Bruniquel, Engineer of Roads and Bridges, the work lasted two years and was completed in June 1861. The deck of the bridge is 68 meters in length, and is located 63 m above the Gave. The arch that supports it is 42 m in diameter. The vault rests directly on the steep rocks that border the Gave. The height of the water level at the base of the vault is 40 m; it is 63 m at the keystone and 65 m at the bridge.
To commemorate the memory of the Emperor's stay and its benefits, the Barèges Valley Trade Union Committee erected a column 12 m high, surmounted by a colossal eagle, at the eastern end of the bridge. The column, consisting of 14 rings, is made of Lourdes stone. The eagle was made at the marble factory of Bagneres. The total height, eagle included, is 14 m. The column bears the inscription: "To their imperial Majesties Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie, the inhabitants of LUZ St. SAVIOR is grateful".
The bridge was open to traffic in 1861 and in September 1863, Napoleon III finally inaugurated the bridge.
Map - Luz-Saint-Sauveur
Map
Country - France
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Inhabited since the Palaeolithic era, the territory of Metropolitan France was settled by Celtic tribes known as Gauls during the Iron Age. Rome annexed the area in 51 BC, leading to a distinct Gallo-Roman culture that laid the foundation of the French language. The Germanic Franks formed the Kingdom of Francia, which became the heartland of the Carolingian Empire. The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned the empire, with West Francia becoming the Kingdom of France in 987. In the High Middle Ages, France was a powerful but highly decentralised feudal kingdom. Philip II successfully strengthened royal power and defeated his rivals to double the size of the crown lands; by the end of his reign, France had emerged as the most powerful state in Europe. From the mid-14th to the mid-15th century, France was plunged into a series of dynastic conflicts involving England, collectively known as the Hundred Years' War, and a distinct French identity emerged as a result. The French Renaissance saw art and culture flourish, conflict with the House of Habsburg, and the establishment of a global colonial empire, which by the 20th century would become the second-largest in the world. The second half of the 16th century was dominated by religious civil wars between Catholics and Huguenots that severely weakened the country. France again emerged as Europe's dominant power in the 17th century under Louis XIV following the Thirty Years' War. Inadequate economic policies, inequitable taxes and frequent wars (notably a defeat in the Seven Years' War and costly involvement in the American War of Independence) left the kingdom in a precarious economic situation by the end of the 18th century. This precipitated the French Revolution of 1789, which overthrew the Ancien Régime and produced the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which expresses the nation's ideals to this day.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR | Euro | € | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EU | Basque language |
| BR | Breton language |
| CA | Catalan language |
| CO | Corsican language |
| FR | French language |
| OC | Occitan language |