The tiny village of Bassignac-le-Haut is located on the southern shoulder of the Dordogne river in the département of the Corrèze. Outside the lovely Romanesque church stands the main reason folks come here – a 16th century carved limestone covered wayside cross. Each side of the shaft is carved with scenes of the life of Christ and is a very...

Quite literally Beaulieu is a beautiful place on the Dordogne river with fine renaissance houses and the magnificent Romanesque abbey church of St-Pierre. It is unsurprisingly one the local Plus Beaux Villages In pre-revolutionary times the town was dominated by the ancient Benedictine Abbey of St-Pierre, although these days only the abbey church remains. Nevertheless, the church is a magnificent...

The lovely village of Creysse on the Dordogne River in the Haut Quercy is not actually one of the Plus Beaux Villages but arguably it should be! A pleasant green area with a stream running through it awaits as you enter the village and the old bridge invites you to cross in order to explore the old village with its...

Gluges is a very pleasant small village nestling at the foot of the limestone cliffs of the Causse de Martel, on the banks of the River Dordogne just south of the town of Martel. Not on the main tourist trail, Gluges is a very quiet and peaceful village with a nice church and a few houses. There is also a...

This ancient city, the capital of the Dordogne, was named after the Gaulish Petrocorii tribe as indeed was the Périgord itself. It is divided into two districts each defined by its main church – St Stephen’s Collégiale (St Etienne), which was the Cathedral until 1669, dominates the Cité district and the massive Byzantine inspired St Front, which is now the...

Clinging to the cliff face above the Alzou river is one of the most remarkable sites in Europe. Rocamadour was named after a local hermit who was dubbed by the locals ‘rock lover’ or ‘Roc Amator’ in Oc due to his love of the rocks amongst which he dwelled. Since the Middle Ages this has been a site of pilgrimage...

This magnificently restored Gothic and Renaissance town is situated deep in the heart of the Périgord Noir in a basin surrounded by wooded hills. Sarlat, officially Sarlat-la-Canéda, has been the location for two Hollywood films, The Duellists and Timeline. However, it is much more than a film set. Sarlat is a busy small town with a Saturday market to die for which...

The Church of St Sacerdos first appeared here during the 12th Century. However, most of the original structure was torn down in 1504 to make way for a new Cathedral. The new structure was commissioned by the Bishop Armand de Gontaud-Biron, who was the Abbot of Sarlat Abbey. The name St Sacerdos refers to Sacerdos of Limoges who relics arrived here during Medieval...

The Lanterne des Morts in Sarlat is one of the most unusual architectural structures in the region. Situated just off the Rue Montaigne, at the top of the churchyard behind Cathédrale St Sacerdos, this cylindrical structure with a conical roof is pierced by four narrow windows. Origins The origins of the Lanterne are uncertain. Some say it was built to...

St-Amand-de-Coly, north of Sarlat, is deservedly one of the Plus Beaux Villages of France with its ancient lauzes roofed houses and impressive abbey church. Fortress-church Constructed during the 12th Century as an Augustinian Abbey, the church builders using the local honey-coloured limestone. However, during the Hundred Years’ War it became a fortress. Today’s visitor cannot help but marvel at the sheer bulk...

The tiny hamlet of St-Crépin-Carlucet is hidden away in the Périgord Noir to the west of Salignac just off the D60 road. This charming collection of pretty houses with lauzes rooves, a church with a fascinating cemetery incorporating tombs set into a wall and the  Renaissance Château Lacypierre.. It even comes complete with a village green and an 18th century...