Saint-Girons Church, Monein, France

L'église Saint-Girons edifice is in the Gothic architectural style. Its grand size made it the largest Gothic church in Béarn in the 15th century. It is most famous for its heart of oak frame which represents the Medieval architecture style.

In the 16th century, Monein was a growing village with over 5,000 residents. The old Romanesque church Sant-Pée became too small for the residents, so it was decided to build a larger church next to the Lay Abbey (which no longer exists).

The size of the new church should be proportional to the wealth of the village; the Église Saint-Girons of Monein is over 61 m long, 16 m wide and 31 m high.

Construction of the church began in 1464 and was completed in 1530. During the 70 years of construction, residents paid for the work through numerous taxes and built the church with their own hands.

Queen Jeanne d'Albret of Navarre transformed the church into a Protestant church, however the church returned to Catholicism under the Édit d'intégration du Béarn (Edict of Integration of Béarn), promulgated by King Louis XIII of France (who was also Louis I of Navarre at that time). The church was then refurnished and it still retains a large Baroque-style altarpiece and 17th century organs from Toulouse today.

The Église Saint-Girons was restored in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Its heart of oak frame is now a tourist attraction.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in France

Trencín Castle

Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.

History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.

Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.

Pauline Nollet (Letova) (2 years ago)
Impressive church both for its architecture and its magnificent framework. I recommend the visit organized by the tourist office of Monein

François MOITY (2 years ago)
Only god knows.

Christian ANNEREL (3 years ago)
Magnificent church, the visit of the framework is to be made ... We will come back for that!

Monique Basti (3 years ago)
Very pretty church. Remarkable wooden frame of overturned boat hull. Ask at the tourist office for the visit.

Claude FRISOU SECHER (3 years ago)
Superb church !!

Saint-Girons Church

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Historic Site of the week

Trencín Castle