Lomagne Tarn et Garonnaise - Villages made of stone

Visiting... la Lomagne

Typical villages made of stone

Wood

Brick

Stone

Come and visit ...

Gramont
Lachapelle
Larrazet
Marsac
Maubec

GRAMONT

This beautiful village occupies a picturesque site in the Arrats valley, with stunning panoramas to discover. It is located at the edge of the Gers department.

The castle of Gramont is one of the most important monuments of Lomagne. Gramont is proud of its castle, one of the most beautiful of the French South-West. The Gothic maison and Renaissance wing inspired by Italian taste make up two parts of this original residence. It is notable for the ribbed vaulting over the staircase and a small oratory. It was donated by Mr and Mrs Dichamp to the Centre des Monuments Nationaux. During the summer the fully furnished château is host to exhibitions and a music festival.

The Honey Museum, with the biggest hive in the world, will show you all the bees’ secrets

Castle of Gramont

Village of Gramont

LACHAPELLE

Lachapelle is one of the most interesting villages of Lomagne. Its unique Baroque chapel is a very rare and surprising monument of Europe.

This village stands on the top of a hill in the manner of many typical Gascon villages. Built in a circular form round the château, the church is enclosed by the château building.

The most original elements in the church are the galleries, which are unique in the whole of France: they consist of three rows of concave and convex seating, which remind one of a Venetian style theatre.

Visitors can admire this unique baroque treasure which was restored between 1997 and 1998.

LARRAZET

Larrazet was founded between 1253 and 1265. Don't miss visiting the church of Sainte Marie Madeleine (XVIth century) and its unique Baroque altarpiece. The Renaissance castle of Johan de Cardailhac, the Belleperche abbot, was built in 1500.

This village is located at the North-East of the Beaumont de Lomagne canton. The Gimone River makes a large turn near to a picturesque road.

The village was built between 1253 and 1265 with a regular plan. Before 1268 the centre was closed by a wall surrounded by a deep ditch. The centre of the village still conserves some traces of the walls. There are some covered passages along the streets, with some ancient half-timbered houses (16th to 19th century).

The church of Ste Marie Madeleine (16th) has been built in limestone and displays a unique baroque altarpiece made of massif oak with a surface of 60m². This altarpiece was made in 1687 and it displays some remarkable statues and decorations.

Johan de Cardailhac, the Abbot of Belleperche, ordered in 1500 the construction of a castle in the place of the ancient defence tower. Nowadays this castle is a private residence and it’s being restored under the guidance of “Monuments Historiques”.

A very successful flower festival takes place in Larrazet every year, the 2nd Sunday of May.

Château of Larrazet

Bell tower of Larrazet

Village of Marsac

Vue over the castle of Marsac

MARSAC

Marsac is an authentic village of Lomagne made of white stone. From the department road no 25 we can see this village on the top of a natural hill. It is the perfect example of a “Castelnau”.

From the main street we can see the private castle. The 11th square tower is located on the South-East side and it’s the oldest part of the castle. In the 15th century Hélène de Voisins ordered the building of a house. The stables and other pieces were built in 1563; lots of refurbishments were done during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The parish church, St Barthelemy, dates from the 14th century, but it was completely restored in 1858. It conserves in one of the chapels a wooden panel representing St Orens, the Bishop of Auch and a Latin poet (370-439). This little panel comes from a chapel demolished in 1794 which used to be located in the placed named “Corneilhon”.

MAUBEC

White limestone is everywhere in Maubec. It is the base of the medieval ramparts and the church.

The ramparts and the church of St Orens are the treasure of this village, an ancient fortified site displaying some charmingly picturesque little streets. It used to be a formidable Catholic defence site during the Religious wars. At that time the Protestants succeeded in getting into the village thanks to a breach opened in the apse of the church. Maubec has for a long time kept the memories of these attacks.

One of the two bells, dating from 1660, commemorates the courage of Maubec inhabitants who were massacred. Also a letter from the Maréchal Matignon to the King Henry IV talks about these terrible attacks.

Today the ramparts and the church are classified as historic monuments and the village rests in a total calm and peace in the middle of the Lomagne valleys.

Entrance Chateau Maubec

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Office de Tourisme Intercommunal de la Lomagne Tarn et Garonnaise
Antenne de Beaumont de Lomagne - 3, rue Pierre Fermat - 82 500 Beaumont de Lomagne
Tel : 05.63.02.42.32, Fax : 05.63.65.61.17
Antenne de Lavit - Bd des amoureux - 82 120 Lavit - Tel-Fax : 05.63.94.03.43
Email : contact@tourisme-en-lomagne.com