A Lévignacq, circuit de Barzague

For centuries, many pilgrims have deviated from their route to come and admire the church of Lévignacq and its bell tower. Built in the 14th century, this listed building is distinguished by a magnificent painted oak ceiling. Large paintings such as the Marriage of the Virgin and the Agony of Christ adorn the walls of the church. The highlight of the show is the clear pictorial distinction between the main body of the church and the choir vault. Hidden for centuries under the plaster, these scenes from the Old Testament are silent witnesses to the passage of time and the generations that have passed through it.

Familiar buildings in the French countryside, mills are also part of the Gascon identity. In the 19th century, in the vicinity of Lévignacq, there were three. That of Uza called moulin de la Fonderie in reference to the famous forges of Uza, that of Moulin Neuf, also called moulin de Bernichau(t), and Moulin-Vieux. All three were flour mills, but sometimes experiments, both successful and unsuccessful, were carried out there to operate saws. In 1877, Moulin-Vieux was doubled in size to power such equipment for woodworking. Today, Moulin-Vieux has been replaced by a fish farm.

The Landes forest is a vast cultivated field. More than 90% of it remains privately owned, which is an exception at the national level. If you look up, you can see the clear differences in height between the different pine forests. These disparities are the result of an exploitation that is rooted in the history of the territory... And of a long term work! The final cut, after several clearings, only takes place after 40 years of maturation. It sometimes happened that only the children saw the result of the father's work. Hard to imagine in the age of Wall Street and short-term returns on investment!