Villages of Perigord

“Thanks to Henry de Ségogne,State Counsellor and friend of

Minister of Culture,André Malraux,Sarlat was a pilot city,part of

the famous Malraux Law,regarding Heritage conservation areas

in the 1960’s.Sarlat was the very first town to benefit from

restoration because of this legislation.Prior to that,the town

was‘a sleeping beauty’:plaster covered the traditional timber-

framed houses and some areas were very run down,practically

medieval.The result of the renovation project,carried out with

great respect to the original features,was spectacular.Sarlat

regained its initial beauty.Incidentally,there are said to be more

listed buildings per square meter here,than in any other town

in Europe! It’s a truly magnificent setting which has attracted

film directors over the years,fifty or so movies were shot here:

The Miserable’s,D’Artagnan’s Daughter,Jacquou le Croquant,or

Ridley Scott’sThe Duellists,just to mention a few!”

An intriguing Romanesque tower capped by a conical

dome,stands behind the cathedral apse.Since the

XVIIth century,the tower has been known as the“Lantern

of the Dead”

.Was this a funeral chapel? A lantern to

guide pilgrims? Or perhaps a monument built in honour

of Saint Bernard,who travelled through Sarlat in 1147?

Today,the mystery remains unsolved as to the origin of this

monument,most probably built in the XIth century.

“Sarlat was transformed

from the 1960’s onwards”

An unusual Lantern

of the Dead

©BertrandRieger

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Francis

Lasfargue,

Town

Environment

and Heritage

Councillor

Disused since the French Revolution, Saint Mary’s

XIIIth century church

, was converted into a cover-

ed market in 2001 by the renowned architect Jean

Nouvel, who spent his childhood in Sarlat. Ten

years later the architect, Pritzker Prizewinner in

2008, created a glass lift in the bell tower. At the top

of the church enjoy a 360° panorama over Sarlat, its

blond sandstone houses and its stone tiled roofs. An

unforgettable experience!

Way up above…

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24+1 VILLAGES OF PERIGORD

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