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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame-de-la-Pitié de Salies-du-Salat, built in the 14th century, was the castral chapel of the castle of the Counts of Comminges. Built in stone and stone, it had a single-nave elongated plane, with southern foothills and a vaulted ridge today collapsed. Its openings, made of light stone, contrast with the walls, and its Gothic portal decorated with oric mouldings and foliage testify to a neat craftsmanship. A Romanesque bell tower, with three bays in the middle of the wall, ran the eastern facade.

The chapel is part of the history of Comminges County, passed under the authority of Foix House in the 14th century by the marriage of Marguerite de Comminges with Mathieu de Foix. Mentioned in 1214 when the Counts submitted to the pope's legatee, it became royal property in 1443 after a treaty between Charles VII and Mathieu de Foix. The chestnut was then entrusted to local lords, such as Viguier de Galard or Jean de Gérus, before being abandoned after the 16th century. The remains, already ruined in the 19th century, were inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1925.

The excavations and observations of the 19th and 20th centuries reveal a chapel at a single elevation level, with traces of murals and carved capitals. Its decline accelerated after 1825, when it was already described as ruined. The bedside cover, still visible in 1923, had disappeared in 1984, just like a tree that had grown in the nave. Today, the ruins stand on the Montayan mound, between the streets of the Castle and the Old Church, the last testimony of the castral enclosure.

Two phases of construction are evoked by historians: a first chapel and a dungeon in the 12th century, followed by the reconstruction of the castle, ramparts and church in the 14th century. Access to the fortress was via a road leading to a door in the walls, directly overlooking the chapel. Its southern portal, main, and its early disrepair state – already highlighted in 1917 by Casimir Barrière-Flavy – illustrate its gradual abandonment after the loss of its cult function.

The site, owned by the municipality, retains remarkable architectural elements despite its state. The bell tower arcade, the foothills, and the arches of the vault offer a glimpse of its medieval past. However, the sources are lacking to accurately trace its use after the 16th century, from which the governors of the castle are no longer documented. His inscription in 1925 aimed to preserve these remains, now reduced to ruins open to the public.

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