Fanlac travel guide

Visit Fanlac (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France)

Fanlac is a small village in the Perigord Noir part of the Dordogne to the west of Montignac. The village is very prettty with lots of very beautiful houses and is also famous as the setting for the film 'Jacqou le Croquant'.

Explore Fanlac

France This Way review: Fanlac is a charming village in the Dordogne where every house is lovely and many are quite stunning. It is also very popular with French visitors for its connection to Jacquou le Croquant.

Fanlac is roughly laid out on a crossroads with at its centre a well and a stone cross, the 'croix Hosannière'. The cross was originally erected in the 14th century in the cemetery but when this was moved to the edge of the village the cross was set up next to the well.

Near to the centre the Church of John the Baptist dominates an open square and surrounding this are some lovely houses with views over the surrounding verdant countryside.

The church is a fortified 12th century Romanesque church that has been modified in the 17 and 18th centuries.

Behind the church through a large gateway is the Maison du Curé Bonal where, in the 1967 tv series of Jacquou le Croquant, the young Jacquou was welcomed by the Curé Bonal.

Heading south from the cross at the centre of the village the road runs past the house of the Aubarbier couple. Sadly this couple were killed and their bodies and house burnt by the Nazis in 1944 for lending their farmouse to the Resistance. You can spot the remains of this house with a plaque on the wall commemorating the courageous couple.

Next to here the Maison du Chevalier Galibert (the knight Galibert's house) is the house used as the home of Chevalier Galibert and his sister in the tv series. This house dates back to the 14 and 15th centuries.

On the roads heading north and west there are many more pretty houses to admire and also a couple of art workshops to look out for.

All of the houses in Fanlac are built in a beautiful pale stone and many have the steep tiled roofs commong to the Perigord. Some still have the original stone (lauze) roofs which are wonderful to see but becoming rare.

There are two castles a little outside the village, both are private. The Chateau d'Auberoche is 1km outside the village and has been built over different centuries. It has two round castellated towers.

Four kilometers out of town in the direction of Montignac is the 18th century Chateau du Sablou. This served as an internment camp for Communists during 1940.

Jacqou le Croquant is a book written by Eugene Le Roy in 1899. Jacqou is a young peasant from the Perigord who leads a revolt against the evil Count Nansac. In 1969 a tv miniseries was made of the book and much of the filming took place in Fanlac. Many residents of the town were extras in the series too.

The tv series led to an influx of visitors to the village to discover the houses used in the filming. Sadly the main house of Jacqou no longer exists but others can still be discovered.

In 2007 the film of Jacqou le Croquant was made and was nominated for two César awards. The film was very popular in France and again led to an influx of visitors to the village.

There are a couple of popular walks that you can do from the centre of Fanlac. Visit the tourist office to pick up a leaflet.