The fortified church of St Cirq Lapopie proudly surveys the Lot valley
A little over a month ago Lesley and I found ourselves in the deepest Lot in the south-west of France about 30 minutes by car from Cahors. The Lot valley is a wonderful place, deep valleys, steepling chalky cliff faces that climb craggily ever upwards. Awe inspiring looking skywards from the river but truly gut clenching when viewed whilst perched on top. The village of St Cirq Lapopie must surely hold the most dominant position on this part of the river and one can clearly see why early settlers would have chosen this point to live, for from here one could control the river traffic navigating the river Lot, west down to Cahors or up river towards Rodez in the east.
It could be Tuscany, the eglise de St Cirq Lapopie looks more fortress than church
St Cirq would have been virtually impossible to storm from below so in effect all that had to be done was to keep a keen eye on the plateau at the top. With so many of this type of fortified hill village in Europe and beyond, one is left marvelling at how exactly the building of great structures such as the fortified church of St Cirq actually came about. It must have come down to courage and a blind faith in the Almighty for no crampons, carabiners or nylon ropes were on hand to assist these early men who lived out their lives 'dans les falaises'
The river Lot snakes westwards down to Cahors
There is now only one major point of fortification in St Cirq, the fortified church, which now overlooks everything. In the middle ages there were two others, one owned by the Cardaillac family, evidence of which surrounds the church, and another belonging to the Lapopie family. This is the one that takes the highest viewpoint in the village climbing up to a small rocky viewing terrace, an eyrie which looks down onto the church to the left and then tumbling down on into the river far below. I don't think I would have had the courage to present an estimate or devis for this build to the Lapopie family had I been a local builder at the time.
The smoke bears evidence that a few people still live in St Cirq Lapopie
All higgeldy-piggeldy in the early morning light
At our hotel which nestled at the other side of the river with magnificent views up to the village on the other side, we were reliably informed by the receptionist that only about 10 houses in St Cirq are now occupied, everything else being artists workshops and restaurants. On the beautiful early March morning we ascended into the village about five of them had smoke drifting from their stacks accompanied by the heady smell of burning well seasoned oak. There's nothing quite like it on an early spring morning.
St Cirq lies within the community of St Gery. The railway used to run from Figeac to Cahors. This section through the cliffs was cut out between 1880 and 1883.
This redundant tunnel goes a long, long, long way into the cliff, pack some sandwiches and take a torch
In some ways so little has changed. One could almost hear the medieval wood turners and tanners at work. The tiny port at the foot of the cliffs would have allowed for their goods to move up and down river allowing commerce to prosper. These early artisans must have been rather good at exercising their craft and the money they made is reflected in the quality of the houses built here. This spectacular village rightly holds its title as 'Un des plus beaux villages de France"
The view from our hotel bedroom window early one morning. The vines are gathering themselves for the warmer weather to come
No doubt about it, breathtakingly beautiful in the early morning light of March
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