Abbey of Saint-Savin-en-Lavedan

[2] The abbey dates at least from the 10th century, and it was built by order of Charlemagne on the site of an ancient Gallo-Roman fortress called Palatium Æmilianum ("Palace of Emilianus").

[6] In 945, Count Raymond I of Bigorre gave the abbey a generous endowment consisting of a territory known as thePascal de Saint-Savin , which was made of the eight villages of Saint-Savin (Sen Sabi), Castet, Lau (Laou), Balagnas, Adast (Adas), Nestalas, Soulom and Uz; the church of Saint-Jean-de-Saint-Savin became their communal church.

In 1130 Bernard d'Arcizas and Centule II, Count of Bigorre, confronted the abbot and the inhabitants of the Val d'Azun over a burial.

[11][12] The abbey church houses an organ first built by an unknown builder in 1557, during the time of abbot François de Foix Candale.

The restored organ has sideways-moving stop levers rather than conventional knobs, and eight ranks of pipes (including a régale with bamboo resonators), the Montre being divided into treble and bass.

The case of the organ is historically interesting for its paintings, carvings and ornaments, which include three masks with mechanical eyes and jaws, moveable by the organist.