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Origin and history

Mimizan's rescue terminals are a set of five piles of pyramid-shaped stones erected in the 13th century to define the perimeter of medieval salvation. This space of more than 200 hectares, centered around Benedictine priory Sainte-Marie, offered legal and physical protection to the population against violence, according to franchises granted by the local lord. The pillars, initially seven to nine, were spaced approximately 1,800 metres apart and surmounted by crosses for remote visibility.

The first written mention of the Salvitas de Mimizan dates back to 1270, although indirect references to a frangitas (exempt territory) appear between 1009 and 1032, when the priory donated to the Abbey of Saint-Sever. These pillars, originally 4.10 to 4.50 metres high, were built on mounds and garluch (local stone). Four of the remaining five remains are accessible to the public; the fifth is in the enclosure of the stationery Gascogne Papier.

The rescues, which appeared after the Viking raids, were asylum areas created by the Church to protect the population. In Mimizan, the inhabitants had to guarantee the safety of anyone who crossed its boundaries, under the supervision of the baili. The Lord could not arrest people there or confiscate their property while they remained there. These boundaries therefore symbolized both a legal boundary and spiritual protection.

Ranked as historical monuments by decree of 13 June 1941, during the German occupation, the pillars testify to the medieval organization of the territory. Among them, Vigon's terminal was moved in 1963 for a construction, while those of Cantegrouilles and the south of the rescue remain only by their foundations. Their preservation illustrates the legacy of ecclesiastical structures in managing conflict and collective security in the Middle Ages.

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