Saint-Girons Church

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.

Address
Rue Saint-Girons 2, Monein, France

Established
1464-1530