Moirax

The village and its priory

A village that has existed since antiquity according to some archaeological evidence, Moirax was a stopover for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela during the Middle Ages. In the 11th century, in 1049, one of the first Cluniac abbeys was founded here.

It became the Cluniac priory of Sainte-Marie and its church is now dedicated to Notre-Dame de Moirax. The sculptures on the capitals are remarkable: animals (wild animals, birds, etc.), a scene from the Temptation, and Saint Michael slaying the dragon. The church has a semi-circular vault and five round arched windows, whose arches rest on half-columns, allowing plenty of light to enter.

Other remarkable sights:

In the south of the village two windmills.

In the north, at the edge of the clunisien way, an old wash-house and the fountain of Navarre.

The historical anecdote: the fountain of Navarre

After crossing the Brimont stream, coming from Moirax and going up the eastern slope, at the edge of the wood you will find a spring on the right of the path. This is the fountain of Navarre, which has been known since ancient times, since the route of this royal road linked two main roads: the Peyrigne and the Ténarèze, which led from Bordeaux to the Pyrenees without crossing a bridge.

On a stele this inscription is engraved: FONS DE NAVARA – UN COP ERA SUS MA PEIRA – DONA JOANA SOBEIRANA – DEL BRULHES S’ASSETET – ALAVETZ SE MIRET – DINS L’ONDA PRIGONDA – LA REINA AIMADA AI REFRESCADA

Which means: “In the past, Lady Jeanne sovereign of the Brulhois sat on my stone and then was mirroring herself in the deep water. I refreshed the much-loved queen.”

This is Queen Jeanne III of Albret, Queen of Navarre. The stele is not old, it was engraved and placed in 1988 by the Pastor of Cabrol who lived in the nearby Priory of Ségougnac. The text is a poem in Occitan composed by abbot Mateu.

by Gabriel Goudezeune | 16 01 2020