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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The ancient ruins of St.Bertrand-de-Cominges correspond to the ancient Gallo-Roman city of Lugdunum Convenarum, founded around 72 B.C. by Pompey to install Spanish troops there after the Sermon war. According to Saint Jerome, this foundation marks the beginning of a lasting Roman occupation. The city, located on a strategic rocky spur, becomes a major commercial and administrative hub in the province of Aquitaine, then of Novempopulania from the fourth century.

During the Roman Empire, Lugdunum Convenarum enjoyed a remarkable rise: it gained the status of a Roman colony and spread over 32 hectares, housing nearly 10,000 inhabitants. The city has a forum, thermal baths, a theatre, an imperial trophy (discovered in 1926), and a wall in the fifth century. Its role as a customs post between Spain, Toulouse and Tarbes makes it a dynamic economic hub, as evidenced by the numerous villas and mosaics exhumed.

The city declined after the Wisigoth (410) and Burgundian (585) invasions, partially destroying the upper city. Despite this, the Paleo-Christian Basilica (Vth century) and the Plan district remain active. In the Middle Ages, the site reborn around the cult of Saint Bertrand, bishop of Comminges canonized in 1222, transforming the ancient ruins into a place of pilgrimage on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Archaeological excavations, especially those of Bertrand Sapene (XX century), revealed exceptional remains, such as the imperial trophy or the thermal baths, now protected and exposed to the departmental archaeological museum.

Classified as a historical monument in 1946, the ancient ruins illustrate the superposition of the epochs: Gallo-Roman (temple, forum, ramparts), Paleo-Christian (basilica), and medieval (cathedral, cloister). Their preservation and study continue to reveal the strategic and cultural importance of Lugdunum Convenarum, which is now integrated into UNESCO's world heritage via the roads of Compostela.

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