Cabrerets is a commune in the south of the Lot departement, in the Occitania region (France, Massif Central). It is also on the Causse de Gramat, the largest of the four Causses du Quercy.
Exposed to an altered oceanic climate, it is drained by the Célé, Sagne and Vers rivers and two other streams. Part of the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park, which has been a Unesco World Geopark since 2017, the commune boasts a remarkable natural heritage: two Natura 2000 sites (the “vallées de la Rauze et du Vers et vallons tributaires” and the “basse vallée du Célé”), three protected areas (the “falaises lotoises (rapaces)” and the “géoparc des causses du Quercy “the national nature reserve of geological interest in the Lot department) and nine natural areas of ecological, faunistic and floristic interest.
The village lies at the confluence of the rivers Sagne and Célé, at the foot of the Rochecourbe cliffs.
The village also forms part of the pilgrimage route (Camino de Santiago) for those travelling to Santiago de Compostela and is the final stop (with Saint-Cirq-Lapopie) before Cahors.
Main attractions
Château de Cabrerets. The first château was built in the 13th century, belonging to the Barasc family, and from the second half of the 15th century to the Cardaillac family.
The present château, whose buildings are arranged around a large courtyard, was rebuilt in the 16th century by the de Gontaut family, lords of Cabrerets. It belonged to the marshal-duke Charles de Gontaut-Biron, a friend of Henri IV and traitor to that king.
Throughout the 18th century, the Gontauds did not reside in Quercy, but in their Château de Biron in the Dordogne. Armand-Louis de Gontaut Biron, duc de Lauzun and seigneur de Cabrerets, was a Quercy deputy to the Estates-General during the French Revolution. Accused of conspiring against the Republic, he was beheaded on December 31, 1793. His wife, Amélie, was guillotined a year later.
The monument has been the subject of a classification as historic monument since November 28, 1996.
Others:
- Saint-Pierre de Cabrerets church.
- Notre Dame de Cabrerets: Amédée Lemozi organized the construction of this oratory dedicated to the Virgin Mary, located in the Sagne valley at the foot of the road leading to the Pech Merle grotto.
- Pech Merle cave.
- Dolmens at Mas d’Arjac.
How to get to?
From Paris: 6 hr 2 min (569 km) via A20
From Toulouse: 1 hr 46 min (143 km) via A20
From Andorra: 4 hr 2 min (324 km) via A20
From Barcelona: 5 hr 14 min (534 km) via AP-7 and A61
From Madrid: 9 hr 20 min (897 km) via A-1
From Monaco: 6 hr 57 min (613 km) via A8
From Moscow: 34 hr (3,343 km) via E30/M1
From Belgrade: 18 hr 35 min (1,904 km) via A4
From Istanbul: 29 hr (2,853 km) via A4
From Bern: 7 hr 23 min (756 km) via A89
Main information
Area: 43 km2
Population: 223
Coordinates: 44°30′25″N 1°39′19″E
Language: French
Currency: Euro
Visa: Schengen
Time: Central European UTC +1
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