The legend of the three brothers and the Pic Saint Loup
In the 12th century, near Saint-Martin-de-Londres in the land of Oc, stood a tiny, remote Romanesque chapel in Alayrac. Set amidst the holm oak, beneath the beaten earth floor, was a grave, that of a young girl, no more than a child: Irène de Bibioures.
Her name, and her story, are set in the local stone, like a legend…
The legend
In the 12th century, near Saint-Martin-de-Londres in the land of Oc, stood a tiny, remote Romanesque chapel in Alayrac. Set amidst the holm oak, beneath the beaten earth floor, was a grave, that of a young girl, no more than a child: Irène de Bibioures.
Her name, and her story, are set in the local stone, like a legend. Irène was the daughter of the lord of Bibioures whose castle clung to the cliff face of Hortus, opposite the Pic Saint Loup. One summer’s day, for her birthday her parents invited some young lords from the surrounding area. Amongst them were three brothers: Guiral, Loup and Alban. Since childhood, all three had nurtured a close friendship with Irène, a friend of stunning beauty, simplicity and tenderness.
Unable to choose between the three brothers, she playfully vowed to wed the most valiant and Christian of the three. Bearing the colours of their beloved friend, lords Loup, Guiral and Alban thus set out on a crusade to the kingdom of Jerusalem, to defend the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. Years later, they returned, covered in glory and bearing the wounds of war, only to find that, alas, the beautiful young princess had succumbed to gref, believing the three brothers she adored had died because of her and would never return.
Overcome with grief, the three lords retreated from the world, yet stayed close to the grave of their young and beautiful princess. Saint Guiral, Saint Alban and Saint Loup each settled on a rocky peak. Once a year, on their beloved one’s birthday, the three lords would light a fire on the region’s highest peaks from their hermitage, to show each other they were still alive and had committed their holy prayers to memory. But one year, only two fires glowed… And the next, just one fire celebrated the memory of the belle. As the years went by, there would be no more fires on the mountain.
Together, the three brothers had gone to meet their Maker. As a tribute to the lives of the three hermit lords, the mountains were named Saint Guiral, Saint Alban and Saint Loup. The Pic Saint Loup.
