The remains of Saint Girons de Lest

Saint Girons de Lest was located a few kilometres west of the present-day town of Saint Girons. The term Lest is most probably a contraction of the Gascon word "l'estay" which means a lagoon or estuary, perhaps attesting to the presence of a lagoon coast before the invasion of the sands in the 14th century. This cork oak wood sheltered the last farm of the village of Saint Girons de Lest, which disappeared under the sands. The remains of the church of this village, abandoned in 1734, can still be seen at the top of the Tuc de la Capere, a few hundred metres away.