Eglise Saint-Cyr

In Saint Cricq Villeneuve, a small village east of Mont de Marsan, the church dedicated to Saint Cyr was founded in the 11th century. Its bell tower is particularly remarkable. It was built in shell sandstone rubble, probably coming from an ancient Gallo-Roman villa. Fortified by battlements after the Hundred Years' War, it was then used as a keep. It is the only testimony of the primitive church. After the troubled period of the Wars of Religion, it began its reconstruction. In the 16th century, a sober portal was built. Later, two side aisles complete the nave: the north aisle in the 17th century and the south in the 19th century. Finally, in the 20th century, a porch was added and a stairway replaced the old ladder which then provided access to the first floor of the tower.