And wow, got me a handful of older pictures from my family forays into Périgueux and of course, needs a post of its own. Great to dig into my vault of pictures a never ending source it seems; sorry for the quality as these are old paper glossy pictures going back to 1990nish. My idea is to keep a log in my blog of all the places I or my family have gone, like a living testament for generations to come. In the meantime, a great source of info for future travelers/visitors and locals alike. This is my homage to old Périgueux; hope you enjoy it as I.
The City of Périgueux is in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Chief town and prefecture of the department of Dordogne (24) since 1791 The city is located 109 km from Bordeaux, 68 km from Angoulême, 83 km from Limoges, 64 km from Brive-la-Gaillarde, 100 km from Cahors and 109 km from Agen, The city offers tourists a historical Gallo-Roman, medieval and Renaissance heritage. recognized as a city of art and history, Périgueux has 44 registered or classified historical monuments, and three museums labeled Museums of France, including two municipal ones. The city preserves and showcases its rich civil, military and religious heritage, including its Saint-Front Cathedral, classified as a historical monument as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The ways there to from Périgueux are road bypass of the national road 89 (N89) taken zillions of times !. Later, this section was integrated into the new A89 hightway/motorway linking Bordeaux to Lyon, opening three of the main road accesses to Périgueux ; the two interchanges Périgueux-Ouest No 14 and Périgueux-Est no 16 provide access to the town via the departmental road 6089 ( D6089 the old N89). Périgueux is also accessible to the south by interchange no. 15, Périgueux-Centre, then by the departmental road 6021 (D6021 from the old N21) which comes from Lourdes and which continues north to Limoges, The Périgueux train station which never taken is served by Intercités and TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine trains. The city is also connected, by TER links, to Bordeaux, Limoges, Brive and Agen; by main line trains to Paris, Lyon and, via the Ventadour, to Clermont-Ferrand.
The things to see in Périgueux are many indeed but will just name some and those visited,
The Périgord Art and Archeology Museum, the department’s first museum, was created in 1835. The Périgord Military Museum was created in 1911 to commemorate the heroism of the National Guard of Périgueux and the 22nd Mobile Regiment de la Dordogne from 1870 and 1871. The Gallo-Roman museum Vesunna is a recent creation of the architect Jean Nouvel. Together they allow you to understand local history through archaeological collections from prehistory to the present day, The Gallo-Roman remains of the ancient city of Vésone: the remains of the Domus des Bouquets (Gallo-Roman villa) above which the architect Jean Nouvel built the Vesunna museum , The Jardin des Arènes garden is surrounded by the remains of the 2C Roman amphitheater, La Tour de Vésone remains the only vestige of a fanum dedicated to Vésone, the city’s tutelary goddess. This tower corresponds to the cella, that is to say, the sacred central part where only the priests had access. The Porte Normande or Norman gate is one of the openings of the elliptical enclosure built in the 3C. It would have played a role in the defense of the city against the Vikings who, in the 9C, went up the course of the Isle, thus giving it the name of Normande or Norman.
The city has preserved many medieval and Renaissance buildings like the Château Barrière, from the 12C to the 16C, Over twenty hectares extends the preserved sector of the medieval and Renaissance city center, including rue Limogeanne, with in particular the Fayard hotel known as “Maison Estignard” and at nos. 1, 3 and 5 a group of houses from the Renaissance period. The Mataguerre tower, the last existing tower of the rampart, is accessible for visits. The houses of the Quays form an architectural ensemble made up of three adjoining houses, that is the Hôtel Salleton the Maison des Consuls and the Maison Lambert, Also on the banks of the Isle, a strange cob and timber-framed building, the eschif. Although never having served as a mill, the eschif is wrongly called the Vieux moulin (old mill) or the moulin du Chapitre (chapter mill) or even the moulin de Saint-Front (Saint Front mill), It is a lookout post that will allow from the Middle Ages the surveillance of the Tournepiche bridge.
The Dordogne prefecture hall, built in the 19C, has a Second Empire facade; its salons are true works of art , The courthouse in neoclassical style. On the banks of the Isle, 200 meters northeast of the cathedral, the 17C Hôtel de Fayolle, The Cathedral of Saint-Front, place de la Clautre is built in the city center of Périgueux, on the tomb of Saint Front of Périgueux, the legendary evangelizer of Périgord, who gave his name to the central district of the city (“Puy-Saint-Front”) in the Middle Ages. Originally a simple church (at the beginning of the 5C), it underwent several destructions and reconstructions, to become, from 1669, the cathedral of the diocese of Périgueux, also erected as a minor basilica in 1897, and registered in the World Humanity Heritage under the routes to Santiago de Compostela in 1998 , Other churches of importance are the Church of Saint-Étienne de la Cité, place de la Cité, former cathedral of the diocese of Périgueux until 1669, became a simple parish church in 1673, Replacing an old church located a hundred meters away, the Church Saint-Georges, place Saint-Georges, in the district of the same name, was built between 1852 and 1870 , and was established as a parish in 1854, The current Saint-Martin Church, place Saint-Martin, first built entirely of wood from 1868 to 1870, was rebuilt in masonry, between 1870 and 1875, and became a parish in 1863 , The Saint-Jean-Saint-Charles Church, rue de l’Abîme, in the Toulon district, built between 1879 and 1892, was originally an annex chapel of the Saint-Martin Church, and was erected as a parish in 1907 and its bell tower was added in 1911.
A bit of history I like really condense as it is huge
After confiscating the Duchy of Aquitaine from John the Landless and reuniting him with the crown of France, Philippe Auguste demands that the peoples and nobles of this duchy pay homage to him. Hélie V and the inhabitants of the future city of Périgueux then take an oath of loyalty to the French monarch in 1204, The Hundred Years War, Périgueux remains faithful to the kingdom of France, even when it is occupied by the English between 1360 and 1363, In May 1472, by his letters patent, King Louis XI confirms the privileges of the city, following the death of Charles, Duke of Guyenne, his brother , The religious wars are more deadly for Périgueux than was not the Hundred Years War. Périgueux was taken on August 6, 1575 by the Calvinists, The Périgord joined the crown of France in 1589, when its penultimate count, son of Jeanne d’Albret, became King of France under the name of Henri IV, while leaving the county as a prerogative to his sister Catherine de Bourbon. This one, who died in 1604, will be the last titular countess of Périgord, It was in 1669 that the cathedral seat moved from Saint-Étienne-de-la-Cité, ruined, to Saint-Front Cathedral, the former church of the abbey of the same name. Under the First Empire, the City is the seat of the prefecture.
The City of Périgueux on its history : https://perigueux.fr/bienvenue-a-perigueux/histoire-de-la-ville.html
The Grand Périgueux tourist office on Perigueux : https://www.tourisme-grandperigueux.fr/en/discover/the/heading-for-perigueux/
There you go folks, another dandy spot in my belle France. This is beautiful country indeed all around, the Dordogne and Périgueux is a prime star. Again, glad to share these old pictures with you all and great for me to have the memory forever. Périgueux is a must to visit me think.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 