Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Mauvezin Castle, now known as the Gaston Phébus Castle Museum, is a medieval fortress located in the Hautes-Pyrénées. This monument owes its expansion to Gaston Phébus, the sovereign Viscount of Béarn and Count of Foix, who made it a key element of his Pyrenean principality. In 1379, after decades of claims, he recovered Mauvezin, a strategic link between Bigorre and Comminges, and transformed him into an inexpugable stronghold. He built a 37-metre dungeon gate and reinforced the ramparts with mâchicoulis, allowing him to dominate a vast territory including the Soul and the Bayonne region.

Over the centuries, the fortress was gradually stripped of its stones, especially during the French Revolution. At the beginning of the 20th century, Albin Bibal and the association L-Escòla Gaston Fébus undertook its restoration to save it from ruin and make it accessible to the public. This association, which still owns the premises, is now working to promote the Occitan language, gasconne literature and local heritage. Recognized for its public utility, she has carried out an important work of publishing Occitan authors and has devoted her resources to the rehabilitation of the castle for a decade, with the help of volunteers.

The castle now houses six furnished rooms, exhibiting a collection of weapons and medieval war machines. Its military architecture, marked by the changes made by Gaston Phébus, bears witness to its central role in the region's conflicts and political issues in the Middle Ages. The accuracy of its geographical location, however, remains approximate, with an official address in Mauvezin (Hautes-Pyrénées), in the former Midi-Pyrénées region, now integrated into Occitanie.

External links