Penne d'Agenais

Visit Penne d'Agenais, Aquitaine

Penne d'Agenais is a small village a few kilometres south-east of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, on the River Lot and in the Lot et Garonne department. It is a very pretty place to visit and was once a stopping point on one of the pilgrim paths to Santiago de Compostella.

Exploring Penne d'Agenais

Penne is almost a one-street town -  start at the bottom of the town and keep walking upwards and you won't go far wrong, although there are some interesting small alleys and passages to investigate en-route.

There are many attractive houses and buildings in Penne d'Agenais, most of them carefully renovated in recent years. There are also a couple of 'arty' type shops and nicely located cafes to stop and enjoy the atmosphere.

At the top of the hill (and village) is the substantial basilica of Notre-Dame du Peyragude, surrounded by plenty of open areas suitable for your picnic. The basilica itself looks quite impressive from the village below, but when you arrive you find it is a 20th century construction that attempts to combine elements from roman architecture with elements from the byzantine style.

Historical note: the church is the most recent of several to stand here, with earlier churches destroyed in the Albigensian Crusade and the Wars of Religion. It was following the second of these destructions that a miracle was reported here, with the Virgin appearing and providing food to a shepherd boy sheltering in the ruins (as a consequence the church is still a place of pilgrimage). Ruined again after the revolution, it was at the end of the 19th century that the decision was made to erect a new church here.

The view from in front of the basilica is very far-reaching and, unexpectedly, there are also some caves containing shrines at the top of the hill.

After exploring the medieval village and castle you can visit the Lot River and the 'Port de Penne' - the ancient port for the town.

Attractions close to Penne d'Agenais

There are several equally interesting villages to explore in the region, with the small village of Pujols and the bastide town of Monflanquin (both are classified 'most beautiful villages of France') being among our personal favourites.

See Aquitaine and Lot-et-Garonne (the region and department for Penne d'Agenais) for more travel ideas...

Suggested places to visit near Penne d'Agenais, France

Distances shown are direct, driving distances will be greater.

More suggestions: Beauville 13km; Tournon d'Agenais 14km; Monflanquin 16km; Montaigu-de-Quercy 17km; Chateau de Fumel 17km; Bourg de Visa 18km; Chateau de Gavaudun 20km; Puymirol 23km; Chateau de Bonaguil 23km; Montjoi 23km; Brassac 23km;

Penne d'Agenais tourist information: sights and attractions nearby

Eglise Notre Dame (Frespech) - religious monument (9km) : Eglise de Notre-Dame (Lacour) - religious monument (15km) : Eglise de Sainte Livrade (Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot) - religious monument (18km) : Abbaye de Saint Maurin (Saint-Maurin) - religious monument (21km) : Ets Latour-Marliac - remarkable garden (23km) : Cathédrale Saint Caprais d'Agen (Agen) - religious monument (26km) : Jardin du Pèlerin - remarkable garden (29km) : Eglise de Saint Martin (Layrac) - religious monument (31km) :

See more places and a map at places near Penne d'Agenais