It is the seat of the former Bishops of Bayonne, now the Bishops of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron. The site was previously occupied by a Romanesque cathedral that was destroyed by two fires in 1258 and 1310. Construction of the present cathedral began in the 13th century and was completed at the beginning of the 17th, except for the two spires which were not finished until the 19th century. The structure has been much restored and refurbished, notably by Émile Boeswildwald, architect to the French government in the 19th century, and a pupil of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. It has an attached cloister. The cathedral stands on the Pilgrimage Way of Santiago de Compostela.