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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The hospital of Tarbes, known as the Fence Hospital, was decided in 1663 and built between 1703 and 1738 on the edge of the Ayguerote Canal, in the Sed area. This project aimed to centralize the reception of beggars, orphans, wanderers and sick soldiers, gradually replacing other local settlements such as Santiago and Saint-Blaise, closed at the end of the 18th century. The hospital became the most important of the Hautes-Pyrénées under the management of the Daughters of Charity during the Revolution and until the mid-19th century, with a team of 10 nuns and 9 employees.

The chapel, built in the second quarter of the eighteenth century, is the only preserved element of the old regime. Its architecture reflects a strict social organization: an external staircase leads to the elevated entrance, while the interior, with its altarpiece dedicated to Christ's childhood and its stands, allowed a separation of audiences (malads, staff, visitors) during the services. The facades and roofs, protected since 1979, were restored in the 1990s, preserving a remarkable example of 18th century hospital architecture.

In the 19th century, the hospital expanded and changed its name several times (Saint Joseph's Hospital, then Ayguerote Hospital), before becoming the Bigorre Hospitaller Centre in 2003. The historic site of the Ayguerote, specialized in geriatrics (153 beds), was gradually completed by new buildings, such as that of La Gespe inaugurated in 1979. Today, the chapel remains the silent witness of this history, classified as the Historical Monuments with its adjacent wings.

The letters patent of August 1703 formalized the creation of the hospice, whose plans incorporated a rigorous symmetry: the central chapel, framed by two parallel wings, formed a harmonious ensemble. The elevations, coated and ordered, mixed curved and rectangular bays, while the polygonal bell tower dominated the whole. Inside, the choir, separated by a wrought iron communion table, was decorated with a wooden altarpiece illustrating scenes from the Nativity, highlighting the spiritual and charitable dimension of the institution.

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