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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Lahonce, located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, is a Romanesque building built in the 12th century, initially as a pre-demonstrated abbey dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Founded in 1121 by the canons of the order of Premontré (or Norbertins), it was a major spiritual and agricultural centre for the evangelization of the Basque Country. The monks, who arrived around 1150 thanks to a donation from Viscount Bertrand du Labourd, developed the vine culture there and preached in Basque, while erecting a nave with five spans and a semicircular bedside adorned with ogival archatures.

The abbey had troubled periods, sheltering a British garrison, welcoming Catherine de Medici, and serving as a military hospital during the Napoleonic wars. After the French Revolution (1789), the buildings were sold as national goods, and the chapel became the parish church in 1802. Its architecture blends Romanesque elements (carved door, dazier modillons) and later additions, such as the bell tower-wall rebuilt in the 19th century after a collapse, adopting a style inspired by bell towers.

Inside, the church preserves remarkable furniture: a altarpiece of St. Michael's terrasing the dragon, a statue of the Virgin in majesty (15th century), and a painting of the archangel Saint Michael (16th century). The site, surrounded by Basque discoidal steles, is the only example of a Romanesque church in the Basque Country that has preserved the integrity of its original structure. Joined the Historical Monuments since 1925, it bears witness to the influence of the Premonstrated and the turbulent history of the region.

The bedside, divided into three spans, presents capitals with various motifs, while the Romanesque portal, sheltered under a 19th century porch, has leafy columns. The two-level stands, typical of local architecture, occupy the side walls. The adjacent convent buildings, partially preserved, recall past monastic life, between prayer, agricultural work and cultural outreach in the Basque Country.

The date of 1121, engraved on the gate, commemorates the foundation of the order pre-demonstrated by Saint Norbert in Laon, although his inscription in Lahonce is probably posterior (17th or 18th century). The choir was built in the 18th century, and the bell tower, rebuilt in 1934 and restored in 1989, illustrates the architectural adaptations over the centuries. Today, the church depends on the diocese of Bayonne and the parish of Saint-Pierre de Nive-Adour, perpetuating its spiritual and heritage role.

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