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Origin and history

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste church in Saubusse, located in the Landes department in New Aquitaine, is a Catholic building built in the 13th century under the reign of Saint Louis. It illustrates an architectural transition between the Romanesque and Gothic styles, with elements such as narrow windows in the middle of the hangar or an ogival choir. His bell tower, with murderers, served as a refuge during the invasions, reflecting his defensive role during the Hundred Years' War.

Inside, the northern porch features a trilobed portal inspired by Navarra churches, such as Santa María La Real in Olite. The Romanesque choir, the oldest, houses stained glass windows evoking Saint Jacques de Compostela and Saint John Baptiste, as well as an eighteenth-century Christian. The nave, divided into three spans, mixes stone and brick vaults, with flamboyant warheads (15th century). A 19th century stand and a painting of the Descent of the Cross (1814) complete the whole, while side chapels, such as the one dedicated to Saint Michael, house altars and statues from the 17th and 16th centuries.

The church has had several uses over the centuries: prison during the French Revolution for deported Basques, burial place for local lords (Saint Michael's Chapel) or notables (Our Lady's Chapel, rebuilt after a fire in 1814). Restorations between 1973 and 1977 revealed murderers and removed elements such as a chair of 1830 or a ship model, symbol of harbour activity on Adour. Ranked a historic monument in 1966, it remains a major testimony of the religious and defensive heritage of the Land.

The two bells installed in 1840, sponsored by local figures (François Saintorens, Jean-Baptiste Lavuelle), recall the community anchor of the building. The stained-glass windows offered in 1893 by Mayor Fialon and his wife illustrate religious scenes (martyra of Saint Eugene, Assumption of Mary), while the Basque cross and the coat of arms of the seigneurs of Bellepeyre in the chapel Saint-Michel highlight the links between local history and cultural heritage.

The exterior architecture is distinguished by arch foothills dating from the Hundred Years War and a stone staircase turret with a pepper roof. These characteristics, combined with its role as refuge, make it a rare example of a fortified church in Aquitaine, marking both medieval piety and the historical tumults of the region.

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