Sauvagnon : Entre parcs et jolies pierres

Built in 1852 by Pau architect Paul Poublan, it features remarkable frescoes by Léonard Fortuné (1894), a renowned painter who worked in several churches in Béarn between 1870 and 1910. Two stained glass windows are the work of the Mauméjean workshops, founded in Pau by the patriarch, Jules, in 1862. Thanks to his four sons, the factory quickly gained international renown, establishing branches in Hendaye, Paris and Madrid, working for Alfonso XII, King of Spain, receiving awards from Napoleon III, and fulfilling more than 500 orders from around the world. An illustrious guest is buried in the nave: Abbé Jean Baptiste Lubin Blez, founder of the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception in the commune.

There are several wells scattered throughout Sauvagnon. These were neighbourhood wells or private wells that became public and were incorporated into the urban landscape thanks to the work of craftsmen. This one has been given a beautiful roof made of warm-coloured tiles, similar to those on the houses in the village. Manufactured locally, these flat tiles, known as ‘picons’ in Béarn, had a small hook, called a ‘picot’, designed to hook them onto the wooden battens.