Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, originally dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, was founded in the 14th century when the bastide of Labastide-d-Armagnac was created by Count Bernard VI of Armagnac in 1291. The Gothic-style building was initially characterized by a simple rectangular room, typical of the regional bastides. Its flat bedside, reinforced by massive foothills, and its Gothic portal decorated with foliage capitals testify to its careful construction. The nave, with four side chapels dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, Saint Eutrope, Saint Joseph and Saint Martin, was gradually enriched between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries.

At the beginning of the 15th century, a fortified bell tower was erected against the north facade, with its mortals and a broken arched gate. This bell tower, raised in the 16th century, dominates the Place Royale de la Bastide, interrupting the line of the surrounding arcades. The major modifications continued with the ship's enhancement and the addition of ivy- and third-lined vaults in the first two spans of the 16th century. The entire vault of the building was not completed until 1880, while the current nave windows were pierced in 1820, replacing older bays.

The bedside, originally pierced by three filled windows today walled, was decorated in 1831 with a trompe-l'oeil painting signed Seroni, representing a camaieu architecture of Siena's land and burnt shade. This decoration, supplemented by statues of the Evangelists in plaster and a master altar in gold wood, has been integrated with furniture partially inscribed in historical monuments since 1970. The church, again became parish of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption in 1638 after a vow by Louis XIII, also preserves a polychrome wood pietà and stalls in side woodwork. Its remarkable acoustic makes it today a place of concerts and cultural events.

Classified as an additional inventory of historical monuments, the church illustrates the architectural evolution of the Gascon bastides, combining religious, defensive and community functions. Its altar and furniture, protected since 1970, underline its heritage importance in the Landes department. The bastide itself, founded in 1291, reflects medieval urban planning with its central square bordered by arcades, of which the church is a structural element.

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