Valley of Campan

The Vallée of Campan is a Vallée the French Pyrenees located in the department of the Hautes-Pyrénées (65) and the area the Midday-Pyrenees.

Geography

It is one of the valleys constituting the Bigorre.

It is made up of three high valleys corresponding to the sources of the three Adours which meet in Sainte-Marie de Campan then with Baudéan to form the river Adour, then runs until - beyond Bagnères de Bigorre.

the three high valleys are:

- the valley of Payolle;

- the valley of Mongie;

- the valley of Lesponne.

the Peak of the South of Bigorre and its observatory are located in the valley of Campan.

the ski stations of Mongie and Payolle are also in this valley.

the Lakes of the Valley of Campan

The valley of Payolle

It is directed the south-eastern North-West. It extends from the collars of Beyrède (is) and Aspin (south-eastern), of the Hourquette d' Ancizan (southern), in Sainte-Marie de Campan (northern).

Localities, variations and villages , of the south in north: Payolle, Espiadet, Pradille, Castelnau, Sarrat de Bon, the Laurence, Séoube , Taillat, Estupas, Sainte-Marie de Campan .

The Valley of Mongie

It is directed north-eastern south-west. It is limited by the Col of Tourmalet to south-west and Sainte-Marie de Campan to the North-East.

Localities, variations and villages , of south-west in the North-East: Mongie , Artigues, Gripp, Cabadur, Hoursentut, the Low ones, Holy-Marie-with-Campan .

The valley of Lesponne

It is directed the south-western North-East. It is limited to south-west by the Hourquette d' Ouscouaou and to the North-East by the village of Baudéan.

Variations, localities and villages , of south-west in the North-East: Chiroulet, Trémesaouet, Park of Aumède, Park of Vidalit, Park of Gay, Park of Arribat, Park of Battle, Lesponne , Vialette, Esquerré, Park det Couy, Entrade, Trap doors, Baudéan .

The principal valley

It is directed northern south of Sainte-Marie de Campan with Montgaillard.

Principal localities and localities, of the south in north: Sainte-Marie de Campan , Arimoula, Galade, Saint-Roch, Campan, Baudéan, Asté, Gerde, Bagnères de Bigorre, Pouzac, Ordizan, Antist, Montgaillard .

History

the settlement of the valley of Campan is very old. One does not find there megaliths (menhirs, dolmens, alignments), undoubtedly because the men of the Neolithic era preferred Piedmont with the high valleys with the rough and hard climate.

toponymy reveals a proto-Celtic influence at the age of metals.

One does not know the first people historical, probably distinct from the Bigerri of Tarbes. One knows by his Onomastique that it was of culture Aquitanique. Certain authors see there them Campons, Aquitanian people of unknown localization, which could have left its name to the valley. But Campan comes more reasonably from a Roman field named campanus . During the War of Gaules , Jules César delegates to his lieutenant Crassus the conquest of the south of current France. César will even come to visit to him the valleys during its eighth countryside.

a gone located at Bagnères de Bigorre (“ Vicus Aquensis ”) supported the exchanges between the farmers of the plain of Adour and the shepherds of the mountain. The wools of the herds woven by local craftsmen provided the raw material of the bigerri jackets , capes out of white or brown wool, heats and full, which had such a success that they were known to Rome.

the Romans explore all the valleys. They find in Bagnères de Bigorre the first steps of thermal baths which they will develop and increase. As of the protohistoire, the curative effects of hot thermal springs spouting out of the mountain were recognized. The Romans will improve the hydropathic establishments which will be useful for all the Gallo-Roman period. Work of water collecting, close to the fountain to Dirtied and realized in 1728, reflects up to date two votive furnace bridges with the nymphs, of which one is lost today.

Under the peace of Auguste, celebrated by Virgile, a bearing monumental furnace bridge inscription undoubtedly forms part of a temple dedicated to the imperial divinity. The following mention is engraved there in Latin: “ With the divinity of Auguste, this furnace bridge was raised by Secundus wire of Selembo on its behalf and in the name of the inhabitants of the Vicus Aquensis”. This furnace bridge is visible today in the thermal baths.

But the former divinities had also their admirers. On marble furnace bridges found in the valley, one sees engraved the names of Agheion , which trônait on the Peak of Bassia, and Baïgorrixo , god of the red fountains (sources of ferruginous water).

the success of these baths is not disturbed by the risks of the history. Alaric, king Visigoth, starts work of a channel bearing its name and irrigant the plains of the valley of Adour.

With the Middle Ages, the Prince Noir comes in Bagnères; some time later, Rabelais makes in the same way.

Montaigne “subjected water to the verdict of its bladder”.

Madam of Maintenon, Tournefort (the father of botany), Parny and Lamartine make some stays there.

Ramond, made famous for the business of the collar of the Queen, will come to take refuge in valley of Campan; writer and naturalist (in particular in botany), it contributed to make known the Pyrenees and discovered sixteen new species of which a very rare flower which bears its name: the Ramondia Pyrenaica .

Little story

To make Mariole

has Séoube , small village typical between Sainte-Marie de Campan and the collar of Aspin, a mountainous shoulder bears the name of Sarrat de Gaye . In occitan, a sarrat is an isolated hill.
on December 27th 1767 was born with Séoube a boy from the family Gaye-Mariole . Become young man, it is an immense strapping man, of almost 2,10 Mr. Gaye-Mariole owes his obligatory service with the army of the République, then of the Empire. It leaves its valley and will be almost all campaigns of the Directoire and Napoleon.
In 1792, he is drum major in the 2nd battalion of the Hautes-Pyrénées; it guerroie at the Spanish border, then in Italy. In 1797, the 26 nivose, it is seriously wounded with the battle of Anguiarion. Its two thighs crossed by a ball, the doctors condemned it; but with surprised of all, he cures. In reward of his bravery, its general offers a to him rifle of honor .

In 1800, it integrates the crack corps of pomegranates of the imperial Garde. The 15 pluviôse, year XIII (February 5th 1804), it receives the Légion of honor same hands of the Emperor who says to him: “ Here for Untameable the . ”

But why the name of Gaye-Mariole did remain in the popular speech the synonym of clown ? This anecdote goes back to the treaty of Tilsitt. The Emperor and the Tsar must meet on a raft, in the middle of the Niémen. Gaye-Mariole assembles the guard on the raft where the treaty must be signed. Like Napoleon approaches, Gaye-Mariole releases his rifle and seizure a part of 4, smallest of the field guns. To the attention, it presents the tube of the gun against its chest. The Emperor has fun some and the following dialog would have taken place: “Ah! I know your name, you are called the Untameable one. - Yes, Lord. - And that will you make to greet “the other presently”? - Lord, I will take again my rifle. They is good enough for him.” The Emperor, satisfied, makes him give a two months gratification of balance.

It is since then in the Large army the expression circulates: “Do not make the Mariole …”

David and Goliath

At the bottom of the valley of Payolle, the pradères (mountain pastures) with the foot of Hourquette d' Ancizan and the Arbizon are the property of the trade union of the “ Four Véziaux ” (Four Neighbors). These Quatre-Véziaux is the communes of Cadéac, Ancizan, Guchen and Grézian. However, they are all the four located in Vallée of Aure.

Pourquoi thus this mountain of Quatre-Véziaux is managed by a trade union located in valley of Aure whereas, geographically, it is in valley of Campan?

Since always, the shepherds of the two valleys fought for the possession of these grounds to the meadows with fatty and rich grass and the wood of provided fir trees.

It was not rare, with the snow melt, to find at the bottom of a combe or in a brook, the corpse of a shepherd, victim of the brawls between the two parties.

to put an end to this fight which killed too many young men, the jurats of the two valleys decided to organize a duel and to rely on the “ judgment of God ”: the combat would be “ with died ” and border limits it would be planted where overcome would die.

In the two camps, one prepares.

Side Campan , one finds a colossus immense and very extremely which one prepares for three months. It is so large and if nasty piece of work that it is called “the Mastiff”.

Side Aure , the noises running on the Hercules of the other party discourage boldest. Nobody goes voluntary, everyone is afraid. It is finally Fréchou, a small, dry and ugly shepherd who takes up the challenge, but Aurois are believed demolished in advance.

the come day, the two champions find themselves on the grassy crètes close to Hourquette (in Gascon, fork = small collar).

crowd is numerous, but environment is slackened among partisans of Campan. Seeing its adversary, “the Mastiff” shouts with the jurats on its side: “Write, Sirs de Campan, the mountain is with us! ” Its supporters jubilent.

the combat engages and, after some master keys, it does not turn at all as one could have envisaged it: Fréchou , girdling its enemy, lets it choir on a rock exposure; “the Mastiff” has the broken kidneys, cannot move more, but he did not die.

Alors begins an incredible scene.

Fréchou binds the feet of its adversary and, without pity, starts to trail it on the way which goes down towards Payolle .

Aurois encourage Fréchou; Campanais hoot their champion. The women of Campan go even until lapidating it while shouting: “Bad cold, but bad cold thus! ” Then Auroises extend their aprons and say to Fréchou: “Gently small, does not kill it too quickly! ”

unhappy “the Mastiff” is trailed until the Prade of Midsummer's Day (the meadow of Midsummer's Day), upstream of Payolle, where the limits of the Four are planted today Véziaux.

For this reason the fir plantations of Coumelade belong to the valley of Aure.

To see

Bagnères-with-Bigorre, its therme S, its market, its market.

villages of the Valley.

the church S with the Bell-tower S characteristics.

mounaques with Campan.

the Transhumance (see the dates on the site Tourist bureau of the valley of Campan ).

the mountain: many walks and Excursion S for all levels (Lakes of the valley of Campan).

the Peak of the South of Bigorre and its observatory.

External bonds

Tourist bureau of the valley of Campan
Site of the town of Bagnères de Bigorre

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