Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Pyrenean Museum of Lourdes was born from the passion of Louis Le Bondidier (1878-1945) and his wife Margalide for the Pyrenees. This couple of Lorrains, who fell in love with the mountains, laid down their collections accumulated during their Pyrenean explorations. In 1913, forced by illness, Le Bondidier devoted himself entirely to his museum project. Supported by the Touring Club of France, in 1921 he obtained the use of the castle of Lourdes – then municipal water reservoir – through a 99-year lease. The museum opened that same year, with Le Bondidier as curator, and enriched thanks to its networks and its editions (L'Échauguette). Margalide, on the other hand, makes models of emblematic Pyrenean buildings, such as the Cathedral of Saint-Bertrand-de-Cominges.

The castle, a strategic site overlooking the seven valleys of Lavedan, has foundations dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, although its origin is much older (Roman occupation and Carolingian legend). Reinforced in the 13th and 14th centuries by a massive dungeon, it underwent modifications until the 19th century. Ranked a historic monument, it now houses various collections: ethnographic objects (pastoralism, agriculture, regional furniture), decorative arts (samadet faiences, baroque furniture), archives of the great pyreneists (Ramond, Schrader, Russell), and a rich iconography (6,200 prints, paintings, photographs since 1854). Labeled Musée de France, it was managed after 1960 by curators such as Jean Robert or Geneviève Marsan.

The museum's temporary exhibitions highlight major figures from the Pyrenees, such as Viollet-le-Duc, Delacroix, or photographer Lucien Briet. The Association of Friends of the Museum, founded by Le Bondidier, perpetuates their work through publications, including the magazine Pyrénées (since 1950), and works on local history. The museum also preserves unique archives on Lourdes during the apparitions (1858) and personal libraries, such as Ramond de Carbonnières. Its cartographic background, with maps since the 16th century, and its military or scientific collections (geology, mammalology) make it a reference for the study of the French and Spanish Pyrenees.

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