Monuments to visit Midi-Pyrénées

The site on which the pretty village of Montmaurin extends today has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It has a unique archaeological heritage, thanks in particular to the presence of the remains of two Gallo-Roman villas, known as Lassalles and Hillière, excavated between 1949 and 1970. Since 2020, a new museum highlights these ancient treasures through a well-organized tour. A good introduction before the discovery of the site.

Built in the first century AD, the villa Lassalles would have developed until around 350 before being redesigned. It is one of the largest and most luxurious villas known in France: its buildings covered an area of nineteen hectares! It had no less than two hundred rooms closed by bay windows, decorated with marble or mosaics, and enjoyed a very modern comfort since it benefited from a heating system by the ground (the famous hypocaust!) and from running water. Excavations have brought to light the remains of the vestibule, the temple, the nymphaeum, several courtyards and many living rooms.

The villa of Hillière is, as for it, organized around a powerful source, with the closest of Save. It adjoins the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Hillière where the restored mosaics are exhibited. The museum, established in the heart of the village, exhibits the collected objects and offers various documents allowing to trace the history of the place.

The pigeon house, which is located in the heart of the Perget Park, which stretches over 16,000 m ², is emblematic of the city of Colomiers. In the southern style, it dates from the eighteenth century and is all bricks. Fully restored in 2008, it is now in perfect condition with its arcade arcades and its four pieces of flat slate roof. It is an excellent meeting place for romantic lovers in the beautiful days.

Built by the end of the 40 000 th century, it now houses about 30 000 books, including 8 000 printed for the general fund, for the Quercy Fund, brochures, maps and plans, antique photographs, prints and collections of local newspapers. In a superb room, surrounded by books up to the 8-metre upper ceiling with wooden gallery and screw staircases and walnut shelves, rare works, only in consultation, are available for researchers who wish to study the th, th, th and th centuries.

The enclosure of the Saint-Jean-d'Alcas fort, 62.50 m long and 37 m wide, is framed by four corner towers. Here, point of Templar or hospitable origin, but the very real fears of the Hundred Years' War in front of the bands of truckers well established on the Larzac. And which no public authority can overcome. From then on, the abbess of the nearby Cistercian abbey of Nonenque authorized the inhabitants of several neighbouring places to build a fortified enclosure. In case of danger, the peasants of the surroundings and those of the village could take refuge there and save their herds.

The hotel de Bernuy is more known today under the name of the high school, which houses it, the Pierre de Fermat high school. Nevertheless, this is the origin of one of the most beautiful hotels in the city, built thanks to the pastel trade in the sixteenth century. It is possible to admire it from Gambetta Street, which leads to the Garonne from the Capitole. The Pastelier Pastelier Jean Bernuy, who became Capitoul in 1533, therefore erected this hotel by Louis Privat in the Renaissance style. Its hexagonal tower is one of the highest in the city.

The city hotel is located in the centre of Gambetta Boulevard, between the new and the old town. The th century building welcomes Jean-Marc Vayssouze-Faure, mayor of the city and president of the Greater Cahors Community, and his team of municipal councillors.