Gavarnie is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrenees department in southwestern France. The village, at an elevation of 4,452 feet (1,357 m) in the valley of the Gave (torrent) de Pau, was a resting place in medieval times for pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, which is one of the chief shrines of Christendom. Also a stopping place for pilgrims travelling to and from Lourdes.