Travel Guide Masseube

Experts are still debating the origin of the name of this town of 1,500 inhabitants. Is Masseube a derivative of Manu Silva or Manus Sylvae? The nuance is important because the first one means "hand of the forest" and would be linked to the appearance of a luminous hand above the woods. Monks would have attested to this strange phenomenon in 1230. The second means "forest in the shape of a hand". Local historians refute the Latin version and rely on the etymology, namely "mas" which designates a feudal exploitation and by extension a house in the forest. The remains of an important Gallo-Roman villa, however, attest to a human presence before the Middle Ages. An important monastic community marked the place and around 1230, Masseube was a real stronghold. As early as 1274, a checkerboard plan and fortifications with four gates were put in place. The founders of the city endowed it with a democratic administration and its fairs ensured its economic development. In 1645, its suzerain Bernard l'Éperon died without a successor and Masseube became part of the fief of the Duke of Roquelaure. A flourishing feudal town, it has bequeathed to us a superb 14th century market hall, the 16th century church of Saint-Christophe and a magnificent 16th century house decorated with elegant half-timbering and corbelling. It is rightly classified as a historical monument. Mills, a wash house and fountains enrich the local heritage. Today, Masseube lives mainly from the breeding and processing of its famous grey geese.