Gréalou

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Gréalou
Coat of arms of Gréalou
Gréalou (France)
Gréalou
region Occitania
Department Lot
Arrondissement Figeac
Canton Causse et Vallées
Community association Grand Figeac
Coordinates 44 ° 32 '  N , 1 ° 53'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 32 '  N , 1 ° 53'  E
height 197-402 m
surface 17.50 km 2
Residents 282 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 16 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 46160
INSEE code 46129

Gréalou - church and fountain

The French commune of Gréalou is located in the Lot department in the Occitanie region . The municipality with 282 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) is located in the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park . The GR 65 long-distance hiking trail leads through Gréalou , which largely follows the historical course of the French Way of St. James ( Via Podiensis ).

location

Gréalou is located on the southwestern edge of the Massif Central in the area of ​​the Regional Nature Park Causses du Quercy , a limestone plateau on the watershed between the Lot River and its right tributary, the Célé . The next larger towns are Figeac (15 kilometers east) and Cahors (36 kilometers west).

history

There are several dolmens, some of them well preserved, in the municipality of Gréalou . Traces of settlement have also been found from Gallo-Roman times .

Gréalou is first mentioned in a document in 1293. It belonged to the domain of the Barasc men from Béduer . The village was destroyed during the Hundred Years War .

Way of St. James ( Via Podiensis )

In addition to a stage hostel (French: Gîte d'étape ) for pilgrims, there are only limited overnight accommodations. There are other accommodations in the hamlet of Pech Granat before Cajarc . This variant of the Way of St. James continues over the barren landscape of the Causses , past dolmens and secluded hamlets . It is marked with GR 65 , crosses the Lot valley at Cajarc and then continues via Limogne-en-Quercy to Cahors . As a road connection, the D19 leads to Cajarc.

Attractions

  • In the Gréalou region there are numerous large stone tombs (dolmens) of the megalithic culture . Two of them are in the municipality of Gréalou on the Pech-Laglaire hill (389 m) within sight of the Camino de Santiago. A stone cross was erected there that is believed to date from the Middle Ages . Because of this link between prehistoric and Christian culture, the two dolmens in 1998 as part of the World Heritage of UNESCO " the pilgrims in France routes " excellent. Excavations were carried out on the dolmens in the early years of the 20th century. The grave goods found are kept in the Museum of Cahors .
  • The Romanesque parish church ( Notre-Dame de l'Assomption ) dates from the 12th century; in the 16th century it was part of a monastery and in the 19th century it was enlarged. The choir of the single-nave church is barrel vaulted ; the two bays of the nave have groin vaults . A rural, but expressive Pietà ( Notre Dame de la Pitié ) from the 16th century is in the nave. The holy water font (French: bénitier ) at the entrance dates from 1684. In 1959 the church was classified as a monument historique .

literature

  • Bettina Forst: French Way of St. James. From Le Puy-en-Velay to Roncesvalles. All stages - with variants and height profiles. Bergverlag Rother, Munich (recte: Ottobrunn) 2007, ISBN 978-3-7633-4350-8 ( Rother hiking guide ).
  • Bert Teklenborg: Cycling along the Camino de Santiago. From the Rhine to the western end of Europe. (Cycling guide, route planner). 3rd revised edition. Publishing House Tyrolia, Innsbruck 2007, ISBN 978-3-7022-2626-8 .

Web links

Commons : Gréalou  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Église, Gréalou in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
Muszla Jakuba.svg
Way of St. James " Via Podiensis "

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