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| Flowers of light come to life in the Extra Natural 2021 exhibition by Miguel Chevalier at Musée de Gajac in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. |
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| The original walls of Villeneuve-sur-Lot lined the Lot River. |
European Heritage Days (Journées du Patrimoine) is a perfect chance to get out and see some sites that are unavailable the rest of the year, take a tour of a town you've been meaning to visit, or treat yourself to a fresh look at your own little village. The weekend takes place each September; this year it was on the 18th and 19th, so last Sunday, we headed to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, a small-ish city about 45 minutes from home.
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| Villeneuve-sur-Lot's Musée de Gajac is located along the Lot River on the site of an old mill. |
Our first stop is Musée de Gajac, a small arts museum. In addition to a very nice collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures, the museum is hosting a special exhibition through Oct. 24, 2021, which turns out to be the delightful highlight of our day. Digital artist Miguel Chevalier's Extra-Natural 2021 includes colorful panels and a light show inspired by nature. The artist's vision of weird, luminescent, and dazzling exotic flowers is truly mesmerizing.
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| Miguel Chevalier's Extra Natural incredible garden was created digitally. It's on exhibit at Musée de Gajac in Villeneuve-sur-Lot through Oct. 24, 2021. |
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| Artist Georges Rohner's Fenêtre sur la rue Bonaparte is on display at Musée de Gajac in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. |
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| La Fête du Grand-Père by Maurice Realier-Dumas is on display at Musée de Gajac in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. |
We could have lingered at the garden ballet all day, but we have more on our agenda for the afternoon.
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| Sunday afternoon is quiet in Villeneuve-sur-Lot's main square. |
Under a rain-threatening sky, we take our time walking through Villeneuve-sur-Lot, a bastide town known for its half-timbered (colombage) buildings and its vast church made of bricks, a material we don't often see in this part of France. The historical center is quiet today, and we notice that not all of our fellow pedestrians are adhering to the mask mandate.
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| A sign of the times goes ignored by many of the people we come across during our afternoon in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. |
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| Villeneuve-sur-Lot's impressive church, Église Sainte-Catherine, is less than a century old. |
An organist is rehearsing when we step inside Église Sainte-Catherine, a Roman-Byzantine-style church built in the early 20th century — brand-new, compared to most churches around here, but impressive nonetheless.
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| The bell tower of Église Sainte-Catherine in Villeneuve-sur-Lot was inspired by the Saint-Sernin basilica in Toulouse. |
We cross the Lot River via Pont des Cieutats and eventually arrive at la Foire Bio, a special outdoor market where we peruse a variety of stands selling organic food and other goods.
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| Le Vieux Pont is one of several bridges crossing the Lot River in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. |
We end our visit to Villeneuve-sur-Lot with a stop at the Tour de Paris, one of two remaining city gates built in the 14th century. As part of Heritage Days, we are allowed to climb the narrow stone steps to the first floor of the tower, where we check out a small exhibit and the view down Rue de Paris.
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| During Journées du Patrimoine, we are able to take in this rare view from the Tour de Paris in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. |
Villeneuve-sur-Lot is the center of the area called Le Grand Villeneuvois, which includes the towns of Laroque Timbaut, Dolmayrac, Sainte-Livarde-sur-Lot, and Casseneuil, as well as the stunning little village of Pujols. We've visited many of these places before, but we're planning to delve deeper into this belle campagne.
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