Cropped from this ridiculously high-resolution image by Moahim
The first remnants of a fortification in this spot go back to the times of the Romans. The fortress was besieged in the 8th century by Charlemagne and handed to the counts of Bigorre, a local feudal family, which ruled over the fortress and the surrounding land until the 14th century. During the Hundreds Year War, it was briefly in English possession. French troops besieged it in order to regain control over it.
The oldest existing structures go back to the 11th and 12th century, though the fortress was constantly refortified over the centuries, with the dungeon dating back to the 14th century. Modifications were made up until the 19th century. Since the 17th century it served as a prison, until it became a museum in 1921.
Today Lourdes is best known as a famous site for pilgrimage.
