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Origin and history

The chapel Notre-Dame-de-Garaison, located in Monléon-Magnoac in the Hautes-Pyrénées, came into being in 1515 when the Virgin Mary appeared three times at the young river Anglèze de Sagazan. The messages transmitted — "Here I will spread my gifts", "I want to build a chapel" — lead to the construction of a first chapel near a spring, replaced in 1540 by the present one, classified as a historical monument in 1924. The name Garaison, of Gasconic origin meaning "healing", reflects the miraculous reputation of the place, once the most frequented in southern France before the rise of Lourdes in 1858.

In the 17th century, under the impetus of the bishop of Oloron and the religious, Garaison became a high place of pilgrimage and teaching. A renowned music school trains singers and instrumentalists, such as baritone François Lay. The French Revolution interrupted this activity in 1792, and the sanctuary remained closed for 44 years. Repurchased in 1836 by the bishop of Tarbes, he was reborn as a college in 1841 under the direction of Father Peydessus, before being closed in 1903 by the Congregations Act. The site, marked by judicial scandals since 1991, remains a place of worship and education managed since 2015 by the Congregation of Saint Croix.

The architecture of the chapel blends styles of the 16th and 17th centuries, with a Jesuit facade of 1620 signed Pierre II Souffron. Inside, 17th-century frescoes, a monumental altarpiece commissioned in 1635 at Pierre Affre's Toulouse workshop, and restored murals illustrate the miracles attributed to the Virgin. The narthex, decorated in 1702 by Father Luc Cayre, and the cloister accessible from this porch, house procession scenes and medallions celebrating the graces obtained. The crypt preserves the remains of Anglèze de Sagazan, recalling the origin of the sanctuary.

The site experienced troubled periods, notably during the Wars of Religion (1569, 1589) and the Revolution, where it was transformed into a saltpeter factory. In the 19th century, the coronation of the Virgin in 1865, requested by Bishop Bertrand Laurence, strengthened her prestige. However, recent judicial cases — rape, abuse of trust, and convictions of former overseers between 1991 and 2025 — have tainted his reputation. Despite these trials, Garaison remains a symbol of Pyrenean religious and educational heritage, combining history, art and Marian devotion.

The protected elements include the chapel (classified in 1924), the facades of the college (1983), and movable objects such as the altarpiece or statues. The murals, restored in the 20th century, testify to the iconographic richness of the place, while the miraculous source, prior to the apparitions, always attracts faithful. Today, the sanctuary and its school institution, with more than 600 students, perpetuate a five-century tradition, between historical memory and contemporary challenges.

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