BASTIDE D'ALAN
Residence of the bishops of Comminges, this village has preserved many of its original features: the central square, the barbican tower, the ogival door of the bishops' palace decorated with the famous cow, corbelled houses, the church and its 5-bay gabled bell tower...
The village was probably founded in the Gallo-Roman period.
In the 11th century, Alan was a sauveté, i.e. a town created by ecclesiastics for economic purposes.
In the early 12th century, Alan belonged to the Bishop of Comminges and Fortanier, Lord of Benque.
In 1270, the bishop of Comminges, Bertrand de Miremont, and King Phillippe III le Hardi founded a bastide in paréage. The territory then came under the temporal domination of the bishops. Bertrand de Got, the future Pope Clement V, was the first to take up partial residence here.
In the 13th century (1272), Eustache de Beaumarchais transformed the sauveté into a bastide town. The bishops resided in Alan during the winter, in the palace. They governed life in the bastide until the French Revolution.
Free tour by scanning the QRCode "Au Fil de Nos Histoires" at the Town Hall door.
