Brassempoi

The village is located away from the road linking Mont de Marsan and Ortez , about 10 kilometers southwest of Ajetmo commune. From a historical point of view, the structure of the settlement is close to the bastide . The boundary between the communes of Brassempuis and Amu runs along the bed of the small river Louis de France .

The name Brassempuis comes from the Latin word Brachipodio , which later became Gascon .

This small settlement of the Chaloss terroir became widely known after the discovery in the territory of the commune in 1890 of a primitive cave dwelling ( grotte du Pape ), and in particular, a small figurine made of a mammoth tusk, called " Venus of Brassempuis " (or also "Lady with a hood "). This figurine is the most ancient depiction of the human face; the elegance and beauty of this work are also noteworthy.

A copy of the figurine is stored in the local archaeological museum ( Maison de la Dame ), which, in fact, is entirely devoted to this find.

Other historical periods also left their imprints on the organization of the settlement. For example, in our time you can still see earthen fortifications called the "Roman camp", which does not accurately reflect their history of origin. However, it is generally accepted that the settlement arose on the site of the old Roman castrum .

However, traces of the Middle Ages are most clearly visible in the city, since the settlement was built precisely in this era. Brassempuy, in fact, is an old English bastide , in which residential buildings are aligned along the main street (practically the only one) connecting the chateau (the estate visible in our time dates back to the 19th century) and the church. The city church (XII century) is classified as a national historical monument .

• The archaeological cave dwelling in Brassempui is a site of a primitive man with discovered fossils of the Late Paleolithic period , including a statuette of Venus of Brassempuis . Grotte du Pape Cave was classified as a national historical monument in August 1980.
• Church of Saint-Sernin ( fr. Église Saint-Sernin ), classified as a national historical monument in January 1939. The western façade and walls of the apse and nave are probably dated to the 12th century. The church has two wooden statues (St. Paul and the bishop) of the XVII century, classified as a historical monument in September 2001.
• The Museum of Venus of Brassempuis ( Maison de la Dame ), which contains copies of nine figurines from the mammoth tusk, found here during excavations, as well as copies of other figurines found in France.
• The remains of the Chateau Pouden , on the site of which the museum is arranged.

Mass events are held in the commune throughout the year:

• Patronal feast ( Ascension Week).
• Music Festival (June).
• Music'Arts Festival (end of July).
• Grape Festival (September, October).
• Halha de Nadau (December 24).

The Music'Arts festival is held in the municipality annually at the end of July (since 1995); these days concerts are held in churches, art exhibitions and medieval days with a variety of costumed performances.

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  " Venus of Brassempuis, " stored at the Museum of National Archeology in Saint-Germain-en-Laye
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  Composition with a lady in a hood at a local museum
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  Main street Brassempui

• Official site of the museum La Maison de la Dame