“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”
F
.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
DR
Disused since the French Revolution, Saint Mary’s
XIIIth century church
A
, 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…
©BertrandRieger
©BertrandRieger
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