Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie

The French community Espagnac -Sainte -Eulalie is located in the department of Lot in the Midi-Pyrénées region. The 88 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) counting place is situated in the valley of the Cele and is part of the Regional Natural Park of Causses du Quercy. By Espagnac -Sainte -Eulalie leads the GR 651, a variant of the GR 65, which largely follows the historical course of the French Road to Santiago Via Podiensis.

Geography

Espagnac -Sainte -Eulalie is located on the southwestern edge of the Massif Central on the banks of Cele, a right tributary of the Lot. The nearest town is Figeac, which is achieved by the Cele valley in an easterly direction over the D41 and D19 after about 21 kilometers of road. The next major French cities are Lyon ( 268 km) to the northeast, Toulouse ( 114 km) to the southwest, Bordeaux (194 km ) to the west and Montpellier ( 196 km) to the southeast.

History

The town developed from the monastery Espagnac. The first foundation was made by the monk Bertrand de Griffeuil 1130-1140 in the municipality of Santa Eulalia. Around the year 1160 it was destroyed in the first war with England. In 1211, an Augustinian nunnery was founded by the prioress Elizabeth. A church and several buildings were constructed on the left bank of the Cele. This place turned out to be unsuitable, however, he was flooded several times. 1624 was Hebrard Aymeric Saint- Sulpice, Bishop of Coimbra ( Portugal), build new buildings. These were on May 16, 1293 officially handed over their destiny. At the behest of the bishop, the Abbey of the Holy Virgin was consecrated. It bears the name Val- Paradis d' Espagnac. The religious community of nuns remained nearly ten centuries active until the monastery was dissolved in 1792 during the French Revolution.

Way of St. James ( Via Podiensis )

In the village there are two hostels for pilgrims (French: Gîte d' étape ), several private rooms (French: Chambre d' Hôtes ) and a campsite. The variant GR 651 continue to follow the valley of the Cele, past the Grotte du Pech Merle, crossed at Saint- Cirq- Lapopie the Lot valley and joins between Limogne -en- Quercy and Varaire again with the GR 65 as a road link leads the D41, parallel to the Way of St. James, in the Lot valley.

Attractions

• The Church of the Val- Paradis Espagnac was the heart of the Augustinian monastery. The original building from the 13th century was about 50 feet long. The Hundred Years' War, it was partially destroyed. In the 15th century it was rebuilt. Today, the Gothic building is used as a parish church. Inside there are three monumental tombs. One of them bears the portrait of the founder Bishop and a second image of the first prioress. The clock tower on the south side is unprecedented with an octagonal roof in the whole of France.

• The interior furnishings of the monastery of Our Lady of Paradise Valley with a fortified gatehouse and priory as well as remains of the cloister date from the 13th or 18th century.

• The Romanesque church of Santa Eulalia on the right bank of the Cele is the residue of a monastery, which was founded in 974 for the care of pilgrims. The chapels of the transept were added in the 19th century.

• The Grotte Sainte-Eulalie contains prehistoric drawings that were dated 13000-9000 BC. The drawings show very realistic representations of reindeer, horses or goats. The cave is not open to the public.