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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Moustey, located in the Landes department in New Aquitaine, is a Romanesque building built in the 13th and 15th centuries. It is distinguished by its bell tower-wall and garluch structure, a local material. In the immediate vicinity of Saint Martin's parish church, it once shared the same cemetery, a particularity emphasized by Dom Biron in the 18th century. This configuration is explained by its origin: the church was attached to a leprosy and a hospital for pilgrims on the way to Tours de chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. A nearby house, called the Hospitaou (disappeared in 1872), housed this hospital, and the church served as a chapel for the sick and travellers.

In 1985, murals were discovered in the choir, restored in 1989. They represent a procession of prayers to the north and east, as well as two biblical scenes to the south: the original Sin and the Paradise Expulsion. Desecrated, the church now houses a museum of religious heritage and popular beliefs, managed by the Regional Natural Park of the Landes of Gascogne. A terminal near the entrance indicates the remaining 1,000 km to Santiago de Compostela, recalling its historic role on this pilgrimage path.

Classified as a historic monument since 4 July 1973, the Church of Our Lady illustrates medieval religious architecture linked to the reception of pilgrims and the sick. Its plan includes a main vessel extended by an elevated choir, a north side bottom supported by foothills, and two windows in the middle of the hangar. A clogged door in the south wall testifies to subsequent changes. Owned by the municipality, it symbolizes both the Jacquarian heritage and the local hospital history.

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