Attractions and Places To See around Gontaud-De-Nogaret - Top 20

The vast majority of large churches in France bear the title "Notre-Dame" (which in German corresponds to the – much rarer – "Unserer Lieben Frau"). The patronage of this house of worship in the historic center of Marmande, and thus the corresponding parish community, has therefore been entrusted to Mary. The church itself is architecturally in the transition period from Romanesque to Gothic.

Very pleasant and shady and not too crowded.

Very pleasant route, mostly asphalted in the shade and at the water's edge of course. However, the Lot-et-Garonne part of this route is more bumpy, the roots lift the tar and make bumps that are sometimes quite significant, so don't be surprised. Another negative point, it is sometimes difficult to find free access water taps, even in the nautical stops you will most of the time have to go and ask for water in the bars or restaurants along the track, or leave the track to go directly to the village cemeteries.

Nowadays, they are rarely used for their original purpose, but are often just technical and historical monuments to a long tradition of craftsmanship. But here is fortunately proof of the opposite: the heavy millstones inside are moved solely by the power of the wind as the driving force, and grain is ground into flour (so-called grain mills). These old windmills are therefore the best proof that people were clever enough a number of centuries ago - long before the discovery of electricity and the inventions that followed it - to harness the natural power of the elements.

Peaceful route by the water, in the shade under the trees 🌳

Rembrandt, born July 15, 1606, died October 4, 1669 is considered one of the greatest painters in the history of art European Baroque and one of the most important painters of the Dutch School of the 17th century. He produced more than 400 paintings, 300 etchings and 300 drawings. In 1631, he painted Christ on the Cross which is visible in the St-Vincent collegiate church of Mas-d’Agenais. From the paved square with a medieval-looking market hall, you must enter the 12th century Collegiate Church, get lost between sarcophagi and sculpted stalls, before discovering “The Crucifixion”. The painting is part of a series by the master on the Passion of Christ.

The history of Clairac is inseparable from that of its Benedictine abbey, which was internationally renowned in the Middle Ages. The abbey, as well as the town which was formed around its walls, reached their peak in the 12th and 13th centuries. There were then 120 monks who worked both in the fields and as copyists of manuscripts. The abbot of Clairac was also the lord of the village and commanded two bastides, five priories and around fifty parishes. The monks also owned two mills on the Lot. The income generated by the abbey was then considerable. But the most important heritage is unexpected: the plum tree of Damascus, brought back from the crusades, was in fact "enté", that is to say grafted, by them for the 1st time. They also discovered the sun-drying process, inventing the Ente plum and the Agen prune in one fell swoop!

The Bourdeille mill, known as the Gibra mill, benefits from the prevailing winds coming from the west on its mound at the top of a hill. From Pech-de-Bère in the south – where the Lot flows into the Garonne – to the town of Marmande in the northwest, it offers you from its privileged location a profound panorama of the Garonne valley. Listed in the inventory of Historic Monuments in 1979, the Gibra windmill benefited from a restoration in the early 1980s, a perfect example of safeguarding local heritage. It has all the equipment for turning in the wind and grinding grain, and on windy days (and open to the public), you can watch milling demonstrations.