Sarlat attractions and top destinations selection

Sarlat, France is an amazing historical travel destination. What can you see in Sarlat and Dordogne area? Found where the Ceou River flows into the Dordogne, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle is a dominant fortress dating to the 1200s. During the Hundred Years’ War in the 1300s and 1400s it was allied to the English Plantagenets and faced off against the Chateau de Beynac, just across the Dore and controlled by the French. It’s recognised as a French Historical Monument for its gatehouse, keep and curtain walls woven with loopholes, all soaring over the river. You can come for a 45-minute tour in English or French, see a large exhibit of historic weaponry, as well as working replicas of the powerful siege engines used in the Hundred Years’ War.

Another market well worth a visit is the indoor market at Eglise Sainte-Marie. Enter through the gigantic steel doors, and you’ll see stalls piled high with everything from spicy saucisson to local St-Nectaire cheese. Don’t forget to look out for the church’s main attraction; a glass lift that rises up through bell tower to reveal breathtaking views over the rooftops of Sarlat and beyond.

Brantome : Picturesque enough to be hung in the Louvre, this romantic village 30 minutes west of Sorges is the “Venice of Perigord”. It’s impossible not be moved by the beauty of boating beneath the stone arches of its angled bridge traversing river and adjacent canal, or meandering cobblestones polished smooth by centuries of pilgrims following the way of Saint James through Brantome to Santiago in Spain. Its vast abbey, founded by Charlemagne in 769, shelters eighth-century cave dwellings, hollowed out by monks, in cliffs behind.

Searching for hotel rooms in Sarlat France? The origin of the abbey is lost in the legends. It exists since the ninth century, forming part of the six great abbeys of Perigord (Paunat, Belves, Saint Front de Perigueux, Brantome, Terrasson). The Carolingian Abbey of Sarlat is the only one that was saved from the Vikings, located away from the Dordogne River and its tributaries. It was able to remain independent and, in the year 1153, was put under the direct protection of the Holy See in Rome. In the year 1317, the abbey was the seat of the new bishopric created by Pope John XXII. The abbey church was transformed into the cathedral of the diocese of Sarlat. From there began the architectural transformation of the city with the construction of a parish church as well as numerous manors. From the fourteenth century on, bishops and consuls shared power until the Revolution. Sarlat played an important role during the Hundred Years’ War with its status as an episcopal city. The town became a reserve for men of arms, ammunition and provisions. The city was fortified, but it was also defended by the castles located in the surroundings, and it could lend aid to other cities besieged by the English: Belves, Domme, Montignac. However, Sarlat was taken by the English as a result of the Treaty of Bretigny in the year 1360. It joined the King of France again ten years later, when the Constable of Guesclin defeated the English. If the victory of Castillon put an end – in the year 1453 – to the Hundred Years’ War, the wars of religion caused additional damage a century later. The city played the same role as before, yet had to surrender twice and suffer the exactions of the captain of Vivans and Viscount Turenne. Read extra info on https://sarlathotel.com/.