We have driven in the area and would like to have an imprint in my blog on the memorable town of Mirande, There is so much to see , doing my best, and glad found me these pictures on the church in my cd rom vault that made me do this post for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on this is Mirande !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Mirande is located in the Gers department no, 32 in the Occitanie region of my belle France. Historically and culturally, the town lies within the Astarac region, a hilly area in southern Gers, bordering the Lannemezan plateau. It is located 46 km from Madiran, 48 km from Tarbes, 25 km from Auch ,104 km from Toulouse, 731 km from Versailles, and 80 km from Pau, from where we came along Avenue Alfred Nobel continue on avenue de la Résistance or D943 road going on rocade outside Morlaas continue on Route de Morlaas and then Route de Pau or D7 road becoming in name Route de Vic continue on D7 road around a wonderful curvy road and see the Côte de la Tricherie ravine continue on D7 road it becomes the D6 road or Avenue de Pau passing thru City center of Vic-en-Bigorre continue out on rue de Rabastens or D934 road continue entering on Rue du Château thru City center Rabastens-de-Bigorre to connect with the N21 highway passing by City center Villecomtal-sur-Arros continue same road past village Miélan entering Mirande on the Route de Tarbes then left on Bd Lascours then right on Bd Clemenceau continue on Bd Louis Laguens then right on Rue Pierre Delisle then right on Rue de l’Évêché and the Church Sainte Marie parking on street,
The Church Sainte Marie, aka Church Notre Dame, and formerly Notre-Dame Cathedral, is built in the Southern Gothic style at the end of the 14C and beginning of the 15C, the church could serve as a fortified stronghold in case of attack on the town. Its 35-meter-high, three-story, quadrangular bell tower with five turrets served a defensive purpose, as did a terrace built above the church, which connected to the attic above the nave via an external corbelled staircase.
The Church Sainte Marie consists of a single nave without a transept, with five bays measuring 38 meters by 17 meters and reaching a height of 25 meters. The side aisles, between the buttresses, are flanked by chapels. The nave ends in a polygonal apse. The church also houses a double neo-Gothic sacristy. Later, flying buttresses were added, spanning the Rue de l’Évêché to support the bell tower and forming an arch that acts as a porch, providing access to the church through an imposing portal at the base of the tower.
The black and yellow marble altar-tomb located in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, one of the side chapels, comes from Berdoues Abbey. This altar is adorned with an altarpiece of four tall red marble columns, an ancient ciborium framing an imposing painting of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary attributed to Antoine Coypel, painter to King Louis XIV. The choir stalls also come from this abbey. The church also contains a 16C stained-glass window of the Virgin and Child and Saint Michael the Archangel. A Stations of the Cross. The organ was built at the initiative of Abbot Bartherote, parish priest of Mirande, between 1860 and 1866. The church houses a May painting of Notre-Dame de Paris by Antoine Coypel, The Assumption of the Virgin, dating from 1680.
It became a parish church and archpriest’s seat after the destruction of the church of Saint-Jean de Lézian in the 16C. In 1410, during the Western Schism, the Pope designated it as the seat of the bishopric he was establishing for the benefit of the Abbey of Berdoues, a Cistercian abbey located south of Mirande. Three years after the papal bull of erection was revoked, the short-lived bishopric of Mirande earned its church the title of cathedral. In 1806, while the Berdoues Abbey had been dismantled during the French revolution, the marble tomb altar and the painting of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary attributed to Antoine Coypel, as well as choir stalls, were installed in the church, having come from that abbey. The Church of Saint Mary underwent significant renovations between 1860 and 1902, but without altering the church’s distinctive silhouette.
Other things to see here, me think are the Halles or covered market , late 19C with a bell tower at one of its entrances, combines timber and iron framing. On one side, it faces the Tax Office, which, along with the Alain-Fournier high school, are two buildings dating from the early 20C. The Saint-Jacques Hospital, formerly a charitable institution, is now reduced to its last vestige: a pointed arch doorway surmounted by a statuette. The Mirande Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts houses, in particular, an interesting collection of Flemish, Italian, and French paintings spanning the 14C to the 20C, as well as a selection of antique pottery and a rich collection of earthenware and porcelain.
A bit of history I like tell us that Mirande is a 13C bastide town, built on the left bank of the Baïse river. It was founded in 1281, near the village of Saint-Jean-de-Lézian, by Eustache de Beaumarchais, Seneschal of Toulouse, in a paréage agreement with the Abbot of Berdoues and the Count of Astarac, Bernard IV, who granted it customs that were often confirmed and expanded thereafter. The King of France, a party to their paréage, promised his support to the fledgling town. The town has a regular bastide layout, with its central square and straight streets. It was protected by a solid fortified wall pierced by four gates, parts of which remained until the 19C. A magnificent count’s castle stood outside the walls. In 1283, Bernard IV and his wife founded the Cordeliers convent outside the town, which was enlarged around 1320 on the orders of Pope John XXII. Destroyed by Protestants, then rebuilt, it was closed in 1790 during the French revolution, and left to the ravages of time. In 1442, Jean III, Count of Astarac, led several valiant men from Mirande in Charles VII’s expedition against the English and in 1453 in the one that definitively wrested Guyenne from them. In 1577, a lieutenant of the King of Navarre, at the beginning of his struggle against the Catholic League, captured Mirande. With the help of several lords, including the Chevalier d’Antras, leader of the Catholic party, the inhabitants defeated the Béarnese garrison after a bloody battle. The victors knew how to respect the future Henry IV who, upon ascending the throne of France, granted them further favors. After the coup d’état of December 2, 1851, by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, the republicans of Mirande and its surroundings rose up to defend the Republic. They managed to hold the town for a few days. In the context of the end of the Algerian War, a forestry hamlet was established in 1962 for former Harkis (a term referring to a military unit of Muslim auxiliaries with civilian status attached to a French military unit in French Algeria) and their families. These former Harkis worked in the Berdoues state forest. The camp existed until 1975.
The Gers dept 32 tourist office on the church : https://www.tourisme-gers.com/eglise-sainte-marie-mirande-53772
The town of Mirande on the Church Sainte Marie : https://mirande.fr/fr/gl/384815/23896/la-cathedrale-sainte-marie
The town of Mirande on its heritage : https://www.mirande.fr/fr/gl/384815/histoire-et-patrimoine
The local Coeur d’Astarac tourist office on the church : https://www.tourisme-mirande-astarac.com/fr/fiche/patrimoine-culturel/eglise-sainte-marie-de-mirande-mirande_TFO7152614/
There you go folks, a dandy area to explore and enjoy with the family, Memorable moments in my belle France, going all over in my road warrior trails brings out sublime awesome spots with nice memorable family visits of yesteryear always remember and always looking forward to be back, eventually. Again hope you enjoy the post on this is Mirande !!!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 