Flaran Abbey - The Heritage of the Baïse in Condom

The theme of water, a topical subject, is explored in many ways... come and discover our interpretation of this theme, from June 26 to September 27.

This year, the Departmental Heritage Conservation service has placed the Flaran Abbey under the theme of water and offers you a route allowing you to approach this theme from multiple angles:

History:
The abbey bears witness to the essential role of water in the daily lives of the monks and in the economy. Numerous traces remain: the well, the canal dug by the monks, the watermill, the pump house, the basin…

Artistic:
Water, a source of inspiration, is expressed in oceans, rivers or rain in the works of the exhibition "Water Stories" (Simonow collection) located in the Monks' dormitory.

Heritage:
Water shapes landscapes and human activities, as revealed by the inventory of the Baïse heritage carried out by the Departmental Conservation in Condom, the results of which are presented to you in the lodge.

But water is also, today, a resource under pressure. Faced with climate change, droughts and floods are intensifying, making water management more complex. Water quality, its use, and the preservation of aquatic environments are major challenges.

Gers, an agricultural region, is not immune to this problem, with the particularity of its dependence on the Neste canal which artificially replenishes the rivers of the territory.

A space dedicated to the SAGE Neste et Rivières de Gascogne (Water Management and Development Scheme) invites you to discover the challenges of water, the actions and the prospects for the territory.

Presentation of the new exhibition “Heritage, from the Baïse to Condom”
This exhibition is the result of an inventory of the heritage of the Baïse in the Gers, carried out since 2025 by the Departmental Heritage Conservation of Gers in partnership with the Occitanie Region.

Both life-giving and destructive, the waters of the Baïse have left behind a rich heritage that this exhibition invites visitors to discover through photographs from yesterday and today: between locks, canals, bridges, quays, and former public baths, the Baïse's heritage in Condom is a still-vibrant testament to a time when this river was central to the lives and concerns of the people of Condom. A children's trail will also allow younger visitors to discover and better understand the heritage that surrounds them and which sometimes remains largely invisible.

Minimum age: 14 years

Theme(s) : photography, heritage.