Cabrerets

Cabrerets
Road to Cabrerets Road to Cabrerets
Cabrerets
Location within Midi-Pyrénées region Cabrerets
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Lot
Arrondissement	Cahors
Canton	Lauzès
Intercommunality	Lot-Célé
Government
• Mayor (2004–2008)	Alain Moncelon
Area1	43.38 km2 (16.75 sq mi)
Population (1999)2	203
• Density	4.7/km2 (12/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	46040 / 46330
Elevation	130–367 m (427–1,204 ft) (avg. 1,301 m or 4,268 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Cabrerets is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France.

The village of Cabrerets derives its name from cabre, meaning goat in the Occitan language.

Geography

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 for those travelling to Santiago de Compostella and is the final stop before Cahors.

History

The overhanging cliffs that dominate the town are home to a ruined castle, built by the English and also known as the château du diable ("devil's castle"). The castle was first mentioned in a document dating from 1259, and was the medieval home of the lords of Barsac. In 1380, during the Hundred Years' War, it fell into the hands of a force from Aquitaine controlled by the English. It was liberated ten years later by Jean d'Hébrard, lord of Saint-Sulpice, who subsequently ordered its demolition.

The Pech Merle cave is home to prehistoric cave paintings, being one of the few sites in France which remain open to the general public.

The Château de Cabrerets has been listed since 1996 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture. Construction bagan in the early years of the 16th century.,

See also

• Communes of the Lot department