In Asté, the Maison des Ferrère and the Church of Saint-Saturnin offer two different insights into cultural history. The Le Casque du Lhéris circular trail via the Fontaine de Crastes offers a different perspective, with views of the Massif du Pic du Midi and the Baronnies. When planning your trip, you can consider art and architectural history and the landscape as separate areas of interest.
Sculpture and church history
The Maison des Ferrère presents an educational tour of the work of a dynasty of sculptors based in Asté. Panels trace the development of the Ferrère artists’ work from the mid-17th century to the beginning of the 19th century. Spanning this period, the tour explores the development of their work over more than a century and places it in a broader historical context.
The centre is open seasonally from 1 June to 30 September. Check the opening information before your trip and plan your visit within this period. This allows you to include a visit to the Maison des Ferrère in your stay plans in advance.
The Church of Saint-Saturnin in Asté was rebuilt in the 18th century following the fire of 1754. Its furnishings were created by Jean II Ferrère between 1760 and 1780. The bell tower, with its twin arcades and double spire, adds a distinctive architectural feature to this historical account. The fire, rebuilding and dating of the furnishings provide different points of reference in time.
The Maison des Ferrère focuses on a dynasty of sculptors and the development of their work, while Saint-Saturnin highlights the rebuilding, furnishings and tower design. If you want to choose between the two sites based on your cultural interests, you can distinguish between a longer art-historical timeline and the history of a single church.
Heritage in Médous
The Grottes de Médous can be visited in a park with the walls of a former monastery. Guided tours with audio accompaniment are offered to international groups in five languages: English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and German. German is therefore one of the explicitly listed options for a German-speaking group.
The Capuchin monastery in Médous was established in 1616 by Claire-Suzanne de Gramont. This date provides a specific point of reference for the monastery’s history. Together with the walls of a former monastery in the park of the Grottes de Médous, it offers another perspective on Médous’ historical heritage.
Views along the Le Casque du Lhéris trail
The Le Casque du Lhéris circular trail via the Fontaine de Crastes offers views of the Massif du Pic du Midi and the Baronnies. The Fontaine de Crastes is the named landmark for finding your way to the car park: the car park for the trail is 500 metres before it, on the road east of the village.
The route combines a specific perspective on the landscape with clear directions to the car park. If you include this in your trip plans, note both the trail name and the Fontaine de Crastes as a landmark. The viewpoints and car park information answer different questions: what you can see along the way and where the car park is located.
Between the Maison des Ferrère, Saint-Saturnin and the trail, you can choose not only between different themes but also between different ways of planning: for the Maison, the seasonal visiting period is key, while the views described and the car park landmark are the practical points of reference for the trail.
Discover more destinations: Pinas, Gaillagos, Viscos, Siradan, Arreau, Arrayou-Lahitte, Gèdre, Montgaillard
Return to the main travel overview: Hautes-Pyrénées.
