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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel of Gabas, located in Laruns in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, was built in the 12th and 13th centuries as a dependency of the hospital of Sainte-Christine, founded in 1121. This modest relay on the road to Santiago de Compostela included, besides the present oratory, a common room, three bedrooms and some outbuildings. Originally held by the Augustins, the commandary passed to the Dominicans in 1601 after a period of abandonment during the Wars of Religion (until ~1595), then to the Barnabites in 1645.

During the Revolution, the site served as a forage depot before being reopened as a chapel in 1815 by the parish priest of Laruns, while the command office was transformed into an inn. Architecturally, the chapel is distinguished by its porch with a staircase descending to a hemicycle, an apparatus of granite belloons, and a bedside in reddish sandstone. Inside, its cross vault, without doubles or formations, frames a cul-de-four apse.

Classified as a historical monument since 1957 (inscription by order of 9 May), the chapel now belongs to the municipality of Laruns. Its history reflects the religious and social changes of the region, from its medieval role as a stage for pilgrims to its secular post-revolutionary uses. The accuracy of its current location is considered fair (note 5/10), and its approximate address corresponds to 9023 Rue des Bergers.

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