 Like us on Facebook
PLACE NAMES


 
|
Puy-l'Évêque
|
|
|
Puy-l'Évêque is a commune of France situated in the Lot department, within the Occitanie region. The town is picturesquely situated at the neck of a long loop of the Lot in Quercy on the D811 between Fumel and Cahors, at the center of the Cahors (AOC) wine region.
The name Puy-l'Évêque is formed from Puy, a French version of the Occitan word pèg or pech, derived from the Latin word podium, in the sense of being raised to a height. L'Évêque indicates that this came under the suzerainty of the Comte-Évêque of Cahors: Guillaume de Cardaillac1.
During the French Revolution the commune was renamed Puy-Libre and Puy-sur-Lot.
Puy-l'Évêque grew up as a bourg around the Count-Bishops' castle on the cliffs above the river; of this only the 13th-century donjon remains, next to the town hall. Beneath it, the Cale along the Lot is the landing where the gabarres (river barges) of the old days transported the region's wine to Bordeaux for export. From here the Rue de la Cale was the main street until the 19th century; the narrow medieval side streets that run off it bear the names of the trades that were practiced on them: Rue des Tanneurs (Tanners), Rue des Teinturiers (dyers), etc. Rue de la Cale follows a stream called the Clédelles, once lined with the mills that supplied the medieval town's prosperity. Above these, palaces of the medieval merchants line Rue des Capucins and Rue Bovila. The church of Saint-Sauveur (14th-16th centuries) stands on a height outside the center; in medieval times it was built into the town's wall, to serve as a strong point in its defense.
Feel free to Email me any additions or corrections
LINKS AVAILABLE TO YOUR SITE
| | |