Travel Guide Espaon

Espaon (pronounced Espon) is built on the passage of a Roman road between the Save and Espienne rivers. The village became a small settlement in the 11th century. Today, with 187 inhabitants, this essentially agricultural commune develops crops on the plain and livestock on its hillsides. The church of Saint-Saturnin or Saint-Sernin is built on a medieval motte, a former stronghold of the Counts of Comminges, a little way from the village centre. Very old, it has been reworked several times, the last one in 1890-95 to consolidate the building which was threatening to collapse. There remains from the Renaissance period, the northern sacristy and a neo-Gothic tower which serves as a porch. We also note the originality of the monument to the War of Espaon with its stele surrounded by the colourful barda of a poilu with two small bombards (crapouillots), a large sabre and the usual vegetal decoration (oak leaves, laurel leaves, etc...). We also note the presence of two mills along the Save, a half-timbered house at the entrance to the village, a communal washhouse near the Moulin Vieux, a work to shoe the oxen and a weighing machine in the centre of the village. An anecdote? When Serge Caylet was first elected mayor of the village in 1969, he was one of the youngest mayors in France. Finally, you should know that the local residents have a tennis court, fishing spots near the Arparens Flour Mill and several picnic tables, and that Saint-Jean is celebrated here (June), while the village festival takes place on thethird weekend in October.