Description
Sauveterre-de-Béarn, perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the Gave d’Oloron river, became an active centre of Protestantism as early as the 16th century. The Reformation, inspired by the ideas of John Calvin, found a strong following in the Béarn region, then under the influence of Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre and a fervent supporter of the Reformed faith. Sauveterre thus saw the establishment of dynamic Protestant communities, contributing to the town’s intellectual and religious vitality.
The religious conflicts of the 16th and 17th centuries left a deep mark on the town. Alternately protected and persecuted depending on political circumstances, Protestants endured the Wars of Religion, as well as the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which granted them a degree of religious tolerance, followed by its revocation in 1685.