Travel Guide Soreze

At the foot of the immense forest massif of the Montagne Noire, this picturesque village developed around its Benedictine abbey. Under Louis XVI, it became the Royal Military School. Until its closure in 1991, Sorèze was one of the most important places of learning in France, marked by pioneering and daring educators such as Father Lacordaire, a Dominican monk. He arrived in Sorèze in 1854 and became director of the school, a position he held for seven years until his death in 1861. Renowned for its innovative pedagogy, the school trained children and teenagers from all over the world in literature, mathematics, science, but also in architecture, singing and theater. Today, this historical monument houses a museum. Grand Site d'Occitanie, Sorèze is a little jewel. One is seduced by the charm of the medieval houses with corbels, on which climb ivy and flowering lianas. The heart of the town is alive with the beating of the Saint-Martin bell tower, built in the 15th century. One can easily get lost and discover the remains of the medieval ramparts, the ruins of the Cathar castle of Roquefort or the remains of the chapel of Saint-Jammes. The village is at the edge of the Saint-Ferréol basin, built to feed the Canal du Midi, integrates the oppidum of Berniquant and leads to sites of attraction such as the Calel cave or the Malamort-Durfort waterfalls.