Sarlat

From Beynac, we visited Sarlat-la-Canéda. Sarlat is a medieval town that developed around a large Benedictine abbey that was established toward the end of the eighth century. The cathedral dedicated to Saint Sacerdos, the Saint-Mary church, and a number of houses were built in the 1300s. The churches and many of the houses still exist today.

Although a prosperous city from the eleventh through thirteenth centuries, Sarlat was no longer popular in the fourteenth century; the city was too far from the river. The town has only recently come back to life when a road was built to pass through. In the 1960s, the French government granted the town funds to restore the building facades and other prized architecture. Today, you can walk through the town and get a glimpse of what the city must have looked like hundreds of years ago.

G and I wandered around Sarlat. We saw the unusually-shaped lanterne des morts (lantern of the dead), the statue of three geese that is the town's symbol, and La cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos.  We also ate outside at a little café in Place de la Liberté. We people watched while we sat and ate.  When we got tired, we drove back to Beynac to spend the night. Beynac is a short distance from Sarlat, but the drive takes some time because the road is windy with elevation changes.

Lanterne des Morts

Old Town Sarlat

La cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos

 

Place Jacques Boissarie

Greg posing with the geese

 I know that some people use Sarlat as their base while they are in the Dordogne Region, but I prefer Beynac. The Beynac Castle is picturesque, the town is on a river, and there is less hustle and bustle. Sarlat is a beautiful medieval city, but I'm glad we decided to visit Sarlat just for the afternoon.