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Origin and history

The Berdoues Abbey was founded around 1135 by twelve monks of Morimond Abbey, led by Abbé Aubert, on lands offered by Count Bernard d'Astarac. It grew rapidly thanks to the donations of local lords and peasants, becoming a major religious and economic centre in the region. Around 1281, a monk from Berdoues, Pierre de Lamaguere, took part in the foundation of the bastide of Lezian, the future city of Mirande, in collaboration with Count Centulle III of Astarac.

The abbey is famous for its cartular of 1175, a historical document specifying its possessions and privileges. Over the centuries, it developed a network of barns (farms) such as Taran, Saint-Michel, or Darré, covering a vast area around Berdoues. These barns, often located on 10 hectares, structured the local economy and strengthened the abbey's influence.

Berdoues' history was marked by periods of decline, including its partial closure in 1791 during the French Revolution. In the 20th century, some of its columns were sold to the antiquarian Paul Gouvert, then acquired by Marshal Hermann Göring, who planned to transport them to Germany. Today, only remains of the 18th century, including the chapel and a staircase classified as historical monuments in 1933.

Architecturally, the chapel of the late twelfth century is distinguished by its arches on oric warheads and its capitals decorated with volutes. The 18th century staircase, with a wrought iron ramp carrying an abbatial shield, bears witness to the abbey's artistic richness before its destruction. The flat vaults under the angle bearings complete this set, the last vestige of a Cistercian heritage once flourishing.

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