Lescar
Encyclopedia
Lescar is a commune
in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
department in south-western France
.
Lescar is the site of the Roman
city known variously as Benearnum, Beneharnum or Civitas Benarnensium. This was the original capital, and origin of the name, of the ancient province of Béarn
.
In 841, Benearnum was razed by the Viking
s and Morlaàs
became the Béarnaise capital. However from the twelfth century a new city grew up at Lescar. Lescar Cathedral was built during this period, and was the seat of the Diocese of Lescar until 1801.
Today, Lescar is primarily a suburb
of the nearby town of Pau. The commune of Lescar has joined together with 13 neighbouring communes to establish the intercommmunality of Pau-Pyrénées
which provides a framework within which local tasks are carried out together.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...
department in south-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Lescar is the site of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
city known variously as Benearnum, Beneharnum or Civitas Benarnensium. This was the original capital, and origin of the name, of the ancient province of Béarn
Béarn
Béarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
.
In 841, Benearnum was razed by the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s and Morlaàs
Morlaàs
Morlaàs is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is the seat of a canton.After the Roman city of Benearnum was razed by the Vikings in 841, Morlaàs became the capital of the ancient province of Béarn. It remained the capital until the 12th century, when...
became the Béarnaise capital. However from the twelfth century a new city grew up at Lescar. Lescar Cathedral was built during this period, and was the seat of the Diocese of Lescar until 1801.
Today, Lescar is primarily a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the nearby town of Pau. The commune of Lescar has joined together with 13 neighbouring communes to establish the intercommmunality of Pau-Pyrénées
Communauté d'agglomération de Pau-Pyrénées
The communauté d'agglomération de Pau-Pyrénées is a communauté d'agglomération in the département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Aquitaine région of France. It provides a framework within which local tasks common to the 14 member communes can be carried out together, and was created in 2000.The...
which provides a framework within which local tasks are carried out together.