Photo : 1gagnepetit / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Sauveterre-de-Rouergue
Sauveterre-de-Rouergue is a thirteenth-century bastide, in the Aveyron, ranked among the Most Beautiful Villages of France. You enter it by fortified gates, notably the Saint-Christophe gate, before walking medieval lanes, called banelles, lined with half-timbered corbelled houses or stone dwellings.
The heart of the bastide is the central square, with 47 arcades, measuring about 60 metres by 40. The arcades, generally pointed in shape, date mostly from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In the centre are a well and a wrought-iron cross dated 1782.
The collegiate church of Saint-Christophe, in southern Gothic style, houses carved Renaissance stalls and a two-storey Baroque altarpiece.
The visit of the bastide is free. The tourist office offers a leaflet, downloadable audio-guided tours and tours for groups all year round. The site is wheelchair accessible.
