NOTRE-DAME-DE-SARRANCE CHURCH
This church presents a baroque ensemble with a rich decoration with gilded wooden pulpit, remarkable panels...
This church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built to accommodate the original statue of the Virgin found by a shepherd in the 12th century. The legend has it that the discovered statue was moved in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, but that it would be turned back to the site of Sarrance, confirming the importance of the construction of a sanctuary in this place. The first historical mention of the church dates back to 1343. The bishop of Oloron entrust it to the Prémontrés monks who took care of the priory and hospital for pilgrims and travelers. It became a pilgrimage place in Marie. The Protestant troops of Jeanne d'Albret devastate it in 1569, but the monks rebuilt it in 1608. Finally, it was restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. The choir contains a statue of the Virgin and the Child, but this one dates from the 19th century, after the passage of the pope in Sarrance. The authentic statue of the 12th century is in the museum (eco-museum of the Aspe valley) behind the church. In the rest of the building, you can admire polychrome statues representing St Norbert (founder of Prémontrés) and St Augustin, the bas-reliefs of the 17th century and a cloister of the 18th century.
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