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Origin and history

The Jalou Castle, also known as the Jaloux or the Gelos Castet, is a medieval building built in the 14th century. Located on the commune of Geu, in the valley of Castelloubon (Hautes-Pyrénées), it was erected on a rocky pile north of the village. Its access is today via a road leaving behind the church of Saint Martin. This castle originally belonged to a younger son of Lavedan Viscounty, reflecting its strategic importance in the region.

Between 1373 and 1404, the castle Jalou was occupied by the English after the treaty of Brétigny, under the governance of Jean de Béarn, then responsible for the castle of Lourdes. Later, Arnauton du Lavedan, Sénéchal de Bigorre, also took control. The British troops dismantled him before they left to make him unusable, leaving him in ruins. An attempt to restore was envisaged in 1593 by the Viscount Jean-Jacques de Bourbon, but the local inhabitants strongly opposed it.

The castle suffered additional damage during the earthquake of 1660, which also affected other buildings in the region, such as Castelloubon Castle. In 1866, Saint Paul's Anthymus made a survey of the ruins, published in the Monumental Bulletin in 1867. Today, almost nothing remains of this fortress, with the exception of the entrance door, surmounted by a dusty window flanked by foothills. The site was organized around a courtyard, a high court, commons and a living dungeon, reflecting its past importance.

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