Built from 1140 on the banks of the Arros, by the Cistercian monks, it reached its height of glory in the 13th century, period when the abbeys of Bigorre flourished. It was used as the burial place of the Earls of Bigorre from the 13th century.
A Historical monument since 1939 and listed by the Ministry of the Arts as a place of cultural importance, the Escaladieu rediscovered its splendour in 1986, thanks to a small group of men.