The bastides in Aveyron

Sauveterre-de-Rouergue with its arcades

At the beginning of the 13th century, rapid population growth created a need for control of the socio-economic development of the region, inciting Kings and Bishops to create the medieval equivalent of a rural development policy.

The Bastides of Rouergue

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Thus began a period in the south west which lasted 150 years (1229 - 1373), and during which some 315 “bastides”, or new towns, layed-out on a regular grid system, were built.

Aveyron boasts six such bastides:

Najac
Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Villeneuve-d'Aveyron
Sauveterre-de-Rouergue
La Bastide L'Évêque
Rieupeyroux

Najac


		From the village square at one end to the imposing château at the other, the village extends along its main street in the form of a bastide. In Najac, the bastide quarter takes its form at the point where the road widens out into a huge square.

Villefranche-de-Rouergue


		A medieval new town, Villefranche was founded in 1252 by Alphonse de Poitiers, Comte de Toulouse and brother of the King Saint-Louis. Its layout is typical of a bastide town, with regular streets intersecting at right angles and converging towards a central square bordered by arcades, the economic heart to the town. Today, it is the scene of a lively, weekly market.

Villeneuve-d'Aveyron


		At Villeneuve, the bastide was grafted onto a Romanesque shelter which was part of a monastery. From such inauspicious beginnings, Villeneuve became a 'bastide comtale' and then a 'bastide royale' at the end of the 13th century.

Sauveterre-de-Rouergue


		A medieval village classed among the "plus beaux villages de France", Sauveterre-de-Rouergue is a magnificent 13th century bastide royale, built around a central square with arcades revealing superb half-timbered houses.

La Bastide L'Évêque


		Founded in 1280 by Raymond De Calmont, Bishop of Rodez, as a rival to Villefranche, the bastide is constructed on a granite plateau which overlooks the Aveyron valley, where numerous smiths beat out their copper during the middle ages. Its isolated location explains the simplicity of the layout, with the market place occupying the central square, joined by a 14th-15th century collegial.

Rieupeyroux


		The highest point of Rieupeyroux is occupied by the chapel of Modulance (804 m). Lower down, on the slopes of the hill can be seen the geometric framework of the ancient Benedictine sauveté (a rural community under the protection of the church) founded in the 11th century. This preserves traces of life in the middle ages as well as during subsequent centuries (the arcades of the Place du Gitat, wood panelled houses, the fountain). You can also visit the church of Saint Martial, rebuilt during the 14th century, which is one of the most remarkable examples of fortified architecture in central France.