Legendary Foundation VIe siècle (≈ 650)
Monastery founded by Saint Lézer.
1064
Donation to Cluny
Donation to Cluny 1064 (≈ 1064)
The priory joins the Clunisian order.
1569
Partial destruction
Partial destruction 1569 (≈ 1569)
Religious Wars, Shaved Montgomery.
1789
Dispersion of monks
Dispersion of monks 1789 (≈ 1789)
Sale as a national property.
XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles
Reconstruction work
Reconstruction work XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles (≈ 1850)
Priory renovation campaigns.
1987 et 1994
MH rankings
MH rankings 1987 et 1994 (≈ 1994)
Protection of facades and interiors.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Façades and roofs, paving of the kitchen and living room of the former priory (Box B 228): inscription by order of 4 June 1987; Parcels B 190 to 192, 203, 205 to 222, 224, 228 to 232, 768 to 776, ZA 32 to 40, ZB 8, 4, 9, 13, 181 and all the rural roads through these plots: inscription by order of 3 February 1994
Key figures
Saint Lézer - Legendary Founder
He gave his name to the monastery.
Montgomery - Protestant military leader
Destroyed the priory in 1569.
Origin and history
The site of Castetbieilh, located in Saint-Lézer in the Hautes-Pyrénées, is the former Castrum Bigorra, seat of the bishopric of Tarbes during antiquity. According to legend, a monastery was founded in the sixth century by Saint Lézer himself. This place became an influential priory, given the order of Cluny in 1064. His history was marked by destruction, especially in 1569 during the Wars of Religion, where only the church and some remains survived.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the priory underwent several works, transforming its buildings. The main wing, housing the living room and the kitchen of the monks, presents baroque decorations (mouldings, medallions, religious symbols like the keys of Saint Peter). At the Revolution, the monks were dispersed and the abbey sold as a national good, sealing its institutional decline.
Today's protected remains include facades, roofs, and drawing of the living room and kitchen, classified in 1987 and 1994. The site thus illustrates a historical stratification, from late antiquity to modern times, through reconstruction and secularization.
