Lescar's important contribution to the area was to give it its name. Béarn comes from the Latin Benehamum, by which Lescar was known. It was the first capital of the Béarn until the old city, at the foot of the hill on which Lescar now stands, was destroyed by the Normans around 850 AD.
Today the narrow streets of the old town on the hill help it maintain its own identity, for inevitably it has become a dormitory suburb of Pau
The cathedral was built in the 12th century on the ruins of the one sacked by the Normans in the 9th century. It became a Protestant temple for a while under Jeanne d'Albret in 1563 but was later restored by the Catholics. Fine 17th century sculptures of Christ, apostles, martyrs and local saints, 34 in all.
Some 15km to the west of Lescar is a lake created by a hydro-electric dam, fed by the Gave de Pau. Although it is difficult to get at; this area of woods, islands and mud-banks hs a surprisingsly large number of ducks and waders during th winter and migration seasons. Interest includes a colony of Night Herons and Little Egrets, and ospreys hunting in April.
You can use this form to send a private message to the Webmaster. To ask a question or give information about something please visit our Visitors' Centre. There you can visit our forums, upload your pictures to the visitors' picture gallery or write an article for the guide. For details about advertising here go to our advertising details and booking form.
Because of the problems with spam we ask that you put the following code in the anti-spam code box in the order form:
