From Pompey the Great to Sainthood

It was Pompey the Great who formally incorporated the Gallic town of Lugdunum into the Roman Province which stretched from the Alps to the Pyrenees. Pompey knew a strategic site when he saw one and he settled many of his veteran soldiers here to dominate the Garonne River valley.

Lugdunum was destroyed during the upheavals surrounding the fall of Rome, but the strategic site attracted the attention of local bishop Bertrand in the twelfth century. The bishop rebuilt the town and named it after himself - Bertrand. When the bishop became a saint, the name was formalized as Saint Bertrand-de-Comminges.

The name Comminges came from the Counts of Comminges who dominated the region during the medieval period. In modern times, the town's spectacular setting is as impressive as the day Pompey first saw the place.

Festival Comminges -
A Feast for the Ears and Eyes

An annual festival of classical music takes place in the numerous churches in and around the town. During July and August orchestral concerts, competitions, quartets and recitals swell the acoustically lovely churches.

The schedule and details of the festival can be found at the Festival's site.