A movie setin the city that celebrates the scriptures

Figeac, meeting point in medieval lands

Pretty much nestled in the hollow of the Célé Valley, in the department of Lot, Figeac plunges us into the Middle Ages, a time when the city was at the height of its intense merchant activity. The richness of its half-timbered houses and its Gothic palaces form a landscape straight out of a movie set. Its delicately carved facades, adorned with soleilhos, its cobbled and winding streets, give it a crazy charm. In the heart of a Pays d’art et d’histoire, Figeac, birthplace of the famous Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion and actor Charles Boyer, is ranked among The Most Beautiful Detours of France. Our beautiful city of the Southwest is undeniably positioned between modernity and tradition and succeeds wonderfully in the amalgam.

1200 years of history

in a few words

The birth of Figeac takes us to 838, when Benedictine monks founded an abbey on the present site of the Church of Saint-Sauveur. Around the monks settled peasants and craftsmen and a town was born. The Figeacois developed trade, exported local products and became richer. From the end of the 12th century, the merchants’ houses reveal the wealth of the bourgeoisie. In the 13th and early 14th centuries, Figeac was one of the most prosperous cities in southern France. The city was adorned with numerous churches and the merchants constituted real fortunes by practicing international trade in luxury goods. These bourgeois raised sumptuous mansions marked by Gothic art which today constitute one of the treasures of the city. If the prosperity of Figeac died out during the Hundred Years’ War, the architecture of the medieval houses would survive the centuries. From the 17th century, Figeac experienced a new wealth. The nobles raise in the city mansions of classical style and the churches receive sumptuous baroque decorations.

What to see in Figeac

The must-haves

The ‘Church of Notre-Dame-du-Puy and its sublime viewpoint
The Place Champollion and the ancient hall
The Musée Champollion – Les Écritures du Monde and the Place des Écritures
The space-heritage, Portait d’une ville, Figeac
The medieval palaces, the Château du Viguier du Roy, the Hôtel dit de la Monnaie
The Saint-Sauveur Abbey
The College Halls of Le Puy and the Museum of History

The illustrated

©Double façade pierre et cuivre du musée|OTGF- Malika Turin
Le buste de Jean-François Champollion, au musée éponyme à Figeac, dans le Lot.
©Salle dédiée à Champollion et à son oeuvre|Paul-N. DUBUISSON
©Pierre de Rosette monumentale par Joseph Kosuth|Christophe Bouthé
Champollion
and the writings
It was in Figeac that the famous EgyptologistJean-François Champollion was born in 1790. Installed in part of his birthplace, the Champollion Museum – The Writings of the World invites us, behind its astonishing façade of 1,000 letters, to a journey through time and space, into the fabulous history of writing. A unique museum in Europe. At the foot of the museum, the Place des Écritures reveals a monumental reproduction on the ground of the Rosetta Stone, a fragment of stele that helped Champollion decipher the hiroglyphs. This work in black Zimbabwean granite enlarged x10 is the work of contemporary artist Joseph Kosuth.
The Champollion Museum - The Writings of the World

The point of view
of the terraces of Puy
It is from the square in front of the Notre-Dame-du-Puy church that the city makes sense. We are here without question on the most beautiful viewpoint of the city. The terraces reveal to us a majestic scenery on the red roofs of the city with the tower of the Viguier du Roy, the bell tower of the church Saint-Sauveur and the valley of the Célé.

Surrounding the church, shaded green spaces with benches and a garden invite to calm and relaxation. The stairs take us through a maze of pavedand picturesque alleys, towards the Champollion square.

Champollion Square & the market hall

A lively market

They make the heart of the city beat since the Middle Ages: the Champollion square and the Carnot square known asthe Halle! Meeting places, this is where you should go for a coffee or a drink at the end of the day, when the sun warms the cobblestones with its orange tones. This is also where the picturesqueSaturday morning market is held, with its colorful, fragrant stalls stretching all the way to the Vival square.

A cultural life

exciting

In the summer, the city becomes even more festive, joyful. The Theatre Festival embarks us for a week of art theater around conviviality and sharing. In early August, we share the passion of musicians in a relaxed and warm atmosphere with the Les Rencontres Musicales festival. Year-round, the cultural appointments of the Astrolabe enliven Figeac and its surroundings.