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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Germain-d'Auxerre, located in Navarrenx in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, is a religious building built between 1551 and 1562 in a late Gothic style. It was initially equipped with a bell tower-wall, replaced in 1734 by the current bell tower-porch. This monument is emblematic of the religious tensions of its time: transformed into a Protestant temple in 1563 under the impetus of Jeanne d'Abbret, it became a Catholic again in 1620 after the visit of Louis XIII, who restored worship there during the edict of the Béarn union.

During the Revolution, the church played a political role in welcoming, on 4 March 1790, the assembly of the great voters confirming Navarrenx as the ephemeral capital of the Lower Pyrénées. In the 19th century it was a military issue: in 1813-1814 it served as a reduction for Napoleonic troops during the siege of Navarrenx by the coalition forces of Wellington. The lower sides were rebuilt in 1862, and the building, classified as Historic Monument in 1921 (excluding bell tower) and then in 1989 (clocher), retains traces of these periods, such as royal coats of arms or the impact of balls.

The church houses a notable artistic heritage, including four large paintings offered by Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie in 1859 and 1864, in thanks to Dr Darralde, former mayor of Navarrenx and court doctor. Among these works, the Ascension of Jesus (1848) by François Dubois is accompanied by copies of masterpieces, such as the Pieta after Lodovico Carracci, given by Adèle de Kercado. The organ, probably built by Vincent Cavaillé-Coll around 1850, was modified in 1944 and 1960 before a restoration in 1983.

Located on the way to Santiago de Compostela, the church has been welcoming pilgrims since the 1990s thanks to the initiative of parish priest Sébastien Ihidoy (1981-2001). Every evening, a historical presentation and prayer are organized, followed by a pot of friendship. This place, marked by the statue of St James the Major, thus perpetuates its vocation as a spiritual and community stage, while at the same time attesting to the political and religious upheavals that shaped the Béarn.

The architectural elements reflect these historical strata: the four-span nave, vaulted with liernes and thirdons, preserves 16th century flamboyant filling windows, while the bell tower (1731), covered with an imperial roof, dominates Carrerot Square. The successive restorations, such as that of 1873 (slate roof) or the work of Charles-Henri Besnard in 1923, preserved this building, now fully protected under the title of Historic Monuments.

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