This bastide (In the Middle Age, name
was given to cities strengthened in the noon by
France.)
Guillaume de
Rabastens was
lawful on February first, 1306 by the seneschal, who gave him his
name (of Rabastens in the Tarn) and its coats of
arms:de mouth in three turnips of money(silver),
here broken by a chevron surmounted by a flower of
lily (royal bastide).
The most successful of
Bigorre's bastides received then its regular plan, the plan
of the bastide was conceived around a vast place of
260x150m, its big Gothic church which preserves still its
gate of the XIV ° century, and its strong castle of
bricks, constituted by a donjon and by four tours integrated
into the fortifications of the city. The bastide was placed under the
patronage of
Saint-Louis(holy
Louis), it glorious
grandfather of
Him Philippe
-le-Bel, whose canonization
was a recent fact. The church Holy Louis de Rabastens
is the only still directly visible partially medieval
building today. The construction can be dated
after 1306 (foundation of
the bastide) and before 1327. The
entry to the church is made by a wide gate(portal) of Gothic
style in limestone. In 1327 it was in the
vast nef of the church Saint Louis that one lives to meet
the consuls and the representatives of Tarbes,
Bagnères, Heavy, Vic, and several other Bigorre's
places, whose inhabitants were pursued in the name of king
by two royal .Ceux officers this succeeded in making
pay(pour) in the royal treasure the enormous sum 5000
books(pounds) tournaments. One sees there the role which
filled(performed) this bastide. 20 years after the
foundation Rabastens had acquired enough importance to
create in the nearby village of the Castéra the
desire to unite with her(it) and to become confused under
its consulate. In 1341, the
bishop of Beauvais and
Louis de
Valentinois
came to sign for Rabastens the
act by which the lieutenant of king gave in, to Gaston de Foix, Pamiers's consulate. 1570 , two camps are in presence:catholiques
against Protestants .La vagueness(wave) of the Protestantism
extends more and more from Bearn in the direction of
Bigorre, of Astarac, of Marciac... Montgomery,
in the name of the
queen of
Navarre, Ladoüe conquered
Bigorre and installed a garrison, in Rabastens's castle,
commanded by 2 captains Gardin and.
In July 17, 1570,
Blaise de
Montluc, lieutenant of king
in " Guienne " puts the seat in Rabastens's ramparts with
one bombard, mortars, 4 artillery, a big couleuvrine,
bastardes two, of the infantry and the cavalry besieged .Les
riposted with more modest means but with
obstinacy. On July 23,
1570 wounded Montluc asked
for an armistice and made promise the safe life through the
captain Moret
native of Rabastens. But once
introduces into the castle the soldiers of Montluc "
crossed(spent) everything in the course of the sword,
men(people) and women.. " Rabastenais had been purely and
simply betrayed .Ce was not an innovation because Montluc
had behaved in the same way in Marsan's mountain some months
previously. Every storekeepers
" in
1783, the inhabitants dedicated themselves
in 1866 largely to the
craft and in services:autour of this centre of very active
markets and fairs 5 tanners, 18 shoemakers, 13 carpenters
and carpenters, 10 potters, 55 needlewomen etc. revolve in
this time meadows of 150 artisans (...) and about fifty
storekeepers (horse dealers and traders of grains(beads)
notably). On December
22, 1789
France was shared in
departments districts and cantons. Bigorre's former(ancient)
county becomes the department of High Pyrenees and Rabastens
administrative centre of canton of Tarbes's district.
On January 3,
1808 an order stipulates to proceed to the
measurement to form a cadastre; one will measure 839
ha. On July 23,
1808 "
the bell put in the air
announced the entry of the sovereigns on our territory. It
was about
Napoleon and
Joséphine de Bauharnais " On September
3, 1843
" at 8 o'clock in the
morning
Victor Hugo and Juliette
Drouet, by returning
of cure to Cauterets, went to Rabastens's church
". On April 8,
1962 RABASTENS becomes BIGORRE'S
RABASTENS. For a detailed information:
Please , visit the site:
http://www.chez.com/sabadie/index.html C) Stéphane ABADIE
Décembre 1996. Any reproduction forbidden without
license. Bibliography: " Bastide Royale de Rabastens de
Bigorre of the previous history in the 18 ° century "
of Stéphane ABADIE " Rabastens de Bigorre in search of
his(her) past " of Louis ROQUES in the Publishing(editions)
A.Hunault and son(thread) " Bastide de Rabastens in Bigorre "
of M.A. CURIE-SEIMBRES in the publishing(editions)
Lacour " On the meeting of the canton "
Rabastens de Bigorre's tourist information office
The charter of customs was given some years later,
on the model of that of Marciac. Fairs were fixed in Saint
Louis and in Saint Vincent.