CASE DE MONTSERRAT

This house is one of the oldest in Cazères, built in the second half of the 16th century (in 1547). It was a family property, outside the town walls "hors de la porte du Mont au faubourg de Villeneuve". On the death of the last owner, Doctor Arnaud de Saint Jehan, the building was put up for sale and acquired in the 1610s by the famous Abbey of Montserrat, a major pilgrimage site in Catalonia. A "Procurator General of Montserrat" was in charge of the building until 1792 on behalf of the Kingdom of France. He was responsible for promoting the cult of the Black Madonna, "la Moreneta", and every year he organised collections throughout France and beyond to cover the cost of accommodation for pilgrims on their way to Montserrat for 3 days. During the French Revolution, the Case was confiscated by the Republic and sold at auction to private individuals. Little by little, the building fell into disrepair. The local council finally bought it back and began restoring it in 1989. In 1992, the oratory of Notre Dame, dedicated to the Black Madonna of Montserrat, was also restored. A copy of the Virgin can be seen there (donated by the Catalan Benedictines). Cazères was also an important Jacobean centre, with a brotherhood, a pilgrims' house and a hospital. Today, the St Jacques Society has taken over from the old brotherhood. The back of the chapel is decorated with a mural of Montserrat painted by Michel Pujol in 1992. Also worth seeing in the hut is the fireplace on the 1st floor, built in the regional Renaissance style in the 16th century.