Country France Department Pyrénées-Atlantiques Intercommunality Pau-Pyrénées Area 26.5 km² Local time Thursday 2:04 AM | Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine Canton Lescar Time zone CET (UTC+1) Population 9,749 (2007) Arrondissement Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques | |
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Weather 7°C, Wind SE at 5 km/h, 92% Humidity Points of interest Lescar Cathedral, Royal Kids, Tovar Louis | ||
Lescar (Occitan: Lescar) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
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Map of 64230 Lescar, France
Lescar is the site of the Roman city known variously as Benearnum, Beneharnum or Civitas Benarnensium, the location providing the name for the later region of Béarn.
In 841, Benearnum was razed by the Vikings 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. The remains of the last monarchs of all Navarre Queen Catherine I (†1517) and King John III (†1516) lie at the cathedral.
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.