Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

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Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Coat of arms of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (France)
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
region Occitania
Department Lot
Arrondissement Cahors
Canton Causse et Vallées
Community association Grand Cahors
Coordinates 44 ° 28 ′  N , 1 ° 40 ′  E Coordinates: 44 ° 28 ′  N , 1 ° 40 ′  E
height 120-389 m
surface 17.89 km 2
Residents 203 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 11 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 46330
INSEE code 46256
Website saint-cirqlapopie.com

View over Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

The French commune of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is located in the Lot department in the Occitanie region . Although the place only has 203 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), it is one of the most famous sites in the Lot Valley. It is located on the cliffs of the left bank of the Lot, almost 100 meters above the river, in the center of the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park .

The Célé variant of the French Way of St. James, Via Podiensis , leads through Saint-Cirq-Lapopie . This variant is marked as the GR 651 long-distance hiking trail .

geography

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is located on the southwestern edge of the Massif Central on the cliffs of the left bank of the Lot, about one kilometer before the confluence of the Célé in the Lot.

The next town is Cahors , which can be reached through the valley of the Lot in a westerly direction via the D662 , D663 after about 34 kilometers of road. The nearest French cities are Toulouse (97 km) in the south, Bordeaux (184 km) in the north-west and Montpellier (200 km) in the south-east.

history

The area around Saint-Cirq-Lapopie was owned by the Cardaillac family in the earliest written records . In 1229 Bertrand de Cardaillac acquired the land from Count Raimund VII of Toulouse . One of his successors took over the castle of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in 1395 and founded the line of the Barons of Cardaillac Saint Cirq . Later three families shared control of the place: the Lapopie, Gourdon and Cardaillac families. In the 16th century, Hebrard de Saint-Sulpice, Bishop of Cahors , took power.

During the Hundred Years War , Saint-Cirq-Lapopie was besieged and eventually captured by treason. 1471 were ordered by Ludwig XI. the fortifications razed. During the wars of religion , Henry of Navarre, who later became King Henry IV , had the rest of it destroyed. However, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie was rebuilt and its residents specialized in the turning of taps and other objects. In the heyday 1,500 people lived from this craft.

Number of inhabitants
(source:)
year 1793 1806 1836 1861 1901 1936 1962 1982 1990 1999 2006
Residents 1,090 1,214 1,282 1,461 1,070 291 221 179 187 207 215
From 1962 official figures excluding residents with a second residence

Way of St. James ( Via Podiensis )

In the Middle Ages there was a hospice for pilgrims in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie . Today there is a pilgrims' hostel (French: Gîte d'étape ), several hotels and private rooms (French: Chambre d'hôtes ), and a campsite. The Célé variant ( long-distance hiking trail GR 651 ) continues over the Causses du Quercy to Concots , before it joins the GR 65 again at the hamlet of Bach, between Limogne-en-Quercy and Varaire , to then reach Cahors .

As a road connection, the D42 leads to Concots. The alternative road connection follows the Lot Valley via the D662 and D663 directly to Cahors.

Attractions

  • Saint-Cirq-Lapopie has been named one of the most beautiful villages in France by the association Les plus beaux villages de France . The place, which is towered over by the ruins of the former castle and enclosed by a city wall, is entered through fortified gates. The steep streets of the village are characterized by tile-roofed gabled houses from the 13th to 16th centuries. Many artists have settled in the village and offer their products. At the foot of the Lapopie rock, mills, locks and the harbor and the towpath are reminiscent of the times of the flourishing inland navigation on the Lot.
  • The Romanesque church from the 12th century stands below the castle ruins. The square bell tower and the apse are from that time. The church was rebuilt in the 16th century.
  • The Sainte-Croix chapel .
  • The water mill at the foot of the Lapopie rock was mentioned in a document as early as 1317. Today it still contains parts from the 15th century. Most of the mill, however, dates from the last renovation in the early 18th century.
  • The Musée Hyacinthe Rigaud exhibits contemporary art . Émile Joseph Rignault (1874–1962), art lover and collector, donated the collection exhibited here to the General Council of the Lot department in 1946 .
  • La Maison Daura , the house of the painter Pierre Daura , was made available by his daughter Martha to the regional council of the Midi-Pyrénées region in order to offer young artists the opportunity to exhibit their works.
panorama

Personalities

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 : Saint-Cirq-Lapopie  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Community information on annuaire-mairie.fr (French) accessed on January 21, 2010
  2. ↑ Saint-Cirq-Lapopie from Cassini.ehess.fr (French), accessed on February 4, 2010
  3. ↑ Saint-Cirq-Lapopie on Les plus Beaux Villages de France (French)
Muszla Jakuba.svg
Way of St. James " Célé -Variante to Via Podiensis "

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