Lys

Presentation

Lys, a village in the Pyrenean foothills

Lys, a village at the gateway to the valley

Lys was a hamlet of Sainte-Colome until 1858.
Today, it is a village situated on the road to Nay and Lourdes. It offers beautiful views of the Pyrenean foothills and the Gave de Pau valley.

The village comprises numerous neighbourhoods made up of farms or former farmsteads, typical Béarn-style houses and old stately homes, bearing witness to its rural and heritage-rich history.

A tradition that lives on: nine-pin bowling

Lys has a bowling green where the traditional game of nine-pin bowling is played. This activity remains very much alive, with numerous competitions still organised today.
This game is distinguished by the size and weight of its equipment, as well as by the specific dimensions of its playing area.

In the 1960s, the small shops that housed bowling alleys gradually closed down

In the early 1980s, at the initiative of the local council, a new playing area was built near the Maison pour Tous.
Supported by the Departmental Directorate for Youth and Sport, this project was accompanied by the creation of the first local club, enabling official competitions to be launched; since the mid-1980s, tournaments have been organised every year.
As the skittle alley had become obsolete by today’s standards, it underwent a major renovation, which was inaugurated in December 2023.
This project aims to preserve and promote a key element of local popular culture, whilst passing on this heritage to future generations.

The Church of Notre-Dame de Lys

The church dedicated to Our Lady was built between 1904 and 1906.

Its bell-tower porch opens onto a nave comprising four bays with semicircular arches. The chancel is adorned with an altarpiece framing a painting of Saint Peter, identifiable by the two keys he holds in his hand.
At the top, a large sun frames the Trinity triangle, on which the Hebrew name of God appears in a stylised form.
Two other altarpieces decorate the side chapels: on the left, that of Saint Joseph, and on the right, that of the Virgin and Child.
There is also a Way of the Cross, as well as a painting of the Ascension kept in the sacristy.

The church is lit by eight remarkable stained-glass windows depicting, in particular, the Assumption, the Immaculate Conception, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Baptist, the Archangel Saint Michael, Saint Joan, Saint Anne and Our Lady of the Rosary.
A contemporary stained-glass window, dedicated to Our Lady of Lys, completes this ensemble.

Source: Lys Town Hall