Guide Perigord_version anglaise

Francis Lasfargue, Town Environment and Heritage Councillor

© DR

“Thanks to Henry de Ségogne,State Counsellor and friend of Minister of Culture,André Malraux,Sarlat was a pilot city,part of the famous Malraux Law,regarding Heritage conservation areas in the 1960’s.Sarlat was the very first town to benefit from restoration because of this legislation.Prior to that,the town was‘a sleeping beauty’:plaster covered the traditional timber- framed houses and some areas were very run down,practically medieval.The result of the renovation project,carried out with great respect to the original features,was spectacular.Sarlat regained its initial beauty.Incidentally,there are said to be more listed buildings per square meter here,than in any other town in Europe! It’s a truly magnificent setting which has attracted film directors over the years,fifty or so movies were shot here: The Miserable’s,D’Artagnan’s Daughter,Jacquou le Croquant,or Ridley Scott’sThe Duellists,just to mention a few!” “Sarlat was transformed from the 1960’s onwards”

©BertrandRieger

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

An intriguing Romanesque tower capped by a conical dome,stands behind the cathedral apse.Since the XVIIth century,the tower has been known as the“Lantern of the Dead” F  .Was this a funeral chapel? A lantern to guide pilgrims? Or perhaps a monument built in honour of Saint Bernard,who travelled through Sarlat in 1147? Today,the mystery remains unsolved as to the origin of this monument,most probably built in the XIth century. An unusual Lantern of the Dead

Disused since the French Revolution, Saint Mary’s XIIIth century church A  , was converted into a cover- ed market in 2001 by the renowned architect Jean Nouvel, who spent his childhood in Sarlat. Ten years later the architect, Pritzker Prizewinner in 2008, created a glass lift in the bell tower. At the top of the church enjoy a 360° panorama over Sarlat, its blond sandstone houses and its stone tiled roofs. An unforgettable experience! Way up above…

©BertrandRieger

©BertrandRieger

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24+1 VILLAGES OF PERIGORD