Benque-Dessous-et-Dessus, commune of the Haute-Garonne located at 113 km as the crow flies from Toulouse, at 35 km from Saint-Gaudens and very close to Bagnères de Luchon, 4 km, is an astonishing little village.
Surprising first of all by its name.
Surprising then because at the last census, it had only 27 inhabitants, called the Benquais, in increase however of 8% compared to 2013.
Finally, it is surprising because it is home to three buildings protected as historical monuments.
Two churches first of all.
The church of Saint-Blaise, which dates from the 14th and 16th centuries, has been listed since 1960 and features frescoes depicting the life of St. John the Baptist, the birth of Mary, St. Barbara, St. Christopher, St. Michael ... These frescoes would be the work of an artist who would have taken up similar motifs in the churches of the Aran Valley. A stone embedded in the outer wall reminds us of the raven that would have supplied Peter and Paul.
Another listed heritage element is the church of Saint Geniès, which dates from the 11th and 17th centuries and has been listed as a historical monument since 1995. It has a painted wooden vault and a wall-belfry that can be accessed by a ladder.
Finally, the alignment of the Mail de Soupène, classified in 1889, which offers a superb view on the valley of Larboust, the town of Luchon and the Pyrenean chain from Aneto to Mont Né. You can see a Cromlech, where the megaliths of the Mail de Soupène are aligned.
To see...
Town Hall
Place De La Mairie
31110 Benque-Dessous-et-Dessus
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