This rock wall is in fact the vestige of a spectacular old quarry which was for a long time one of the main activities of Saint Béat, the city of marble. It still bears traces of exploitation, the oldest of which date back to Antiquity, a time during which Saint-Béat was known as a "Passus Lupi" (passage of the wolf), because the narrowing of this part of the Val d'Aran n It would then have allowed only skinny wolves to pass without getting their paws wet in the Garonne. This ancient stronghold commanded the Garonne valley and its strategic importance had made it nicknamed the “key to France”.
For centuries, Saint-Béat remained best known for its white marble quarries, undoubtedly discovered while seeking to widen the narrow passage and exploited since Gallo-Roman times. Local legend did not hesitate to say that its marble was used to build Trajan's Column in Rome. This is naturally false.
Widely used during the reign of Louis XIV and particularly at Versailles, the quarries were then neglected or abandoned, only to be rediscovered in the 19th century. Today, nine marble quarries of various colors are still being exploited in Saint-Béat, including one underground.
But the operation of this concession located on the side of the road was abandoned and the place was rehabilitated as a climbing site.