Visitez Rieupeyroux

The site of Rieupeyroux (rivo petroso), with the highest point (804 m) of the chapel of Modulance, the subject of an ancient legend with the giant Gargantua, is engraved in the granite and schism landscapes of Segala, where open huge platforms are interrupted by valleys with winding rivers that supply the Viaur and the Aveyron. Like Villeneuve-d'Aveyron and Naucelle, Rieupeyroux's origin is a sauveté (salvita) dating from the Romanesque era. The hamlet spontaneously developed around a church and a Benedictine monastery founded by the abeey Saint-Martial de Limoges on former seugnerial land. The sauveté, whose limits were defined by fortifications built at the very start of the Hundred Years war has an almost orthogonal map. The central part of the urban frame is occupied by a market square of modest size and installed on a steep hill. The regular plan of the sauvete and the almost central location of its place announce what will become a rule in the bastides of the 13th and 14th century.

Rieupeyroux, founded in 1030

In the heart of the Ségala, Rieupeyroux (from rivo petroso, or “stony river “), was founded in the 11th century by a community of Benedictine monks from the abbey of Saint Martial in Limoges. Starting with a chuch and a monastery the site quickly became a “sauveté” or place of refuge. With its gridiron layout, marketplace and latterly the covered market in rue de Gitat, it anticipated in part the town planning and social structure of a Bastide.

Today you can rediscover all of this by following the clearly marked explanatory signboards - the urban framework, the historical and architectural development of this Benedcitine refuge, like the Griffoul fountain, the half-timbered houses, or the arcades on the place du Gitat and finally, the fortified church of Saint-Martial, listed as a historic monument. Rebuilt in the 14th century as part of the town walls, it remains a rare and one of the most remarkable examples of fortified architecture in southern France.

Here you can take advantage of your holidays surrounded by nature and by life's simple pleasures: peaceful walks in the countryside, bicycle rides, horse and pony trekking; tasting the many local delicacies on a visit to a Ségala farm, discovering leafy green valleys, fishing, swimming in clear lakes and rivers, or visiting a farmers' market or a lively festival…The choice is yours!