Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Villeneuve-sur-Lot is in the Lot et Garonne department, about 30 kilometres north of Agen.
The ancient bastide town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot has now largely given way to a much larger town that surrounds it. There are still some interesting features to discover in the town - which is noteworthy in the way it has escaped the excesses of tourism that have impacted the less 'modern' bastide towns. Although not one of the most beautiful towns of the area, it does, non-the-less have many attractive buildings and is worth taking the trouble to wander around.
The centre of the town is found between two old gateways - the Porte de Paris and the Porte de Pujols - easily spotted as you approach the town from either direction. The Porte de Paris was built in the 14th century and like Villeneuve itself is a mixture of stone and the red bricks of Toulouse. The third floor of the tower was once the prison (now a much bigger building on the edge of town) and the fourth floor had a walkway around it acting the tower to act as a look-out tower. Villeneuve was once surrounded by a fortified wall with six towers and eight gates in it.
The centre of the town is now largely given over to shops (real shops not tourist shops) and makes a pleasant place to explore. Walk down the Rue de Paris - the main street between the two towers and the main shopping street of Villeneuve - and on to the Place Lafayette. Place Lafayette is the main square of Villeneuve and is surrounded by arcaded shops. The market is held here on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. This is also held in the Covered Market Hall just down from the Place Lafayette on the river. The market hall was built in 1864 of iron, cast iron and stone in a similar style to those of Paris.
Wander down the Rue Sainte Catherine behind the Place Lafayette and you come to the wonderful Eglise Sainte Catherine. This church is unlike any I’ve ever seen. It is built from red bricks and has a wonderful elaborate tower. The church has been built in Romano-Byzantine style and was started in the 19th century and finished in 1937. Take a look inside, all around the edge, high up on the wall are paintings of the saints. There is also a good stained glass window belonging to the 13th century church that used to stand here, and there are five gilded wooden statues that are classified historic artefacts.
Heading for the river there are three bridges across the river. The old bridge, the ‘Pont Vieux’ is a 13th century bridge, based on the bridge at Cahors, but has lost its original towers. However it still provides attractive views along the river valley and you can admire the Chapel of Notre Dame at the end of the bridge. Legend has it that in the early 13th century some boatmen were stopped in the middle of the river by a powerful force. One of the boatmen dived in to investigate and emerged holding a statue of the Virgin Mary. A chapel was built here - especially for mariners.
On the other side of the river is a little medieval-style garden and the Chapelle des Penitents Blancs, the chapel of the white penitents. (The chapel of the blue penitents has been destroyed!). The members practiced collective penitence and carried out lots of work for the poor and sick of the area.
On the edge of the old town centre is the second gateway - the Tour de Pujols, the ‘Pujols Tower‘. This is built in the same style as the Paris tower and with the tower of St Catherines church these towers give Villeneuve a very interesting sky-line. Next to the Pujols Tower you can see some remains of the town’s fortifications. The two gates are now classified as historic monuments. From here drive to the nearby hilltop town of Pujols, itself a very beautiful little village.
Other points of interest in the town are the Gajac Mill which has been converted into the Art Museum of Villeneuve; the Saint Cyr Hospital, a beautiful building donated to the town and which still has its original 19th century pharmacy with 500 decorated porcelain pots and the Gallo-Roman ruins at Eysses to the north of Villeneuve.
A visit to the tourist office (near the Tour de Paris) will provide you with a detailed map highlighting all these places of interest.
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Tourist Classifications for Villeneuve-sur-Lot
- approved Station Classée (resort paying particular attention to facilities for tourism)
Places to visit near Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France
Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Villeneuve-sur-Lot.
Some places to visit within 30 km: 
24 km: Agen (Large town) 24 km: Beauville (town) 36 km: Castelsagrat (town) 31 km: Chateau de Biron (castle) 26 km: Chateau de Gavaudun (castle) 17 km: Frespech (traditional village) 15 km: Laroque-Timbaut (village) 15 km: Monflanquin (Most beautiful village) 33 km: Montjoi (village) 12 km: Penne d'Agenais (Pretty village) 3 km: Pujols (Most beautiful village) 26 km: Puymirol (town) 26 km: Villereal (Bastide town)
See also Villeneuve-sur-Lot (version Francais)
