Enjoy
a night in a superb Aveyronnaise house in
Saint-Come d’Olt, the Garden
of Eliane.
Discover
,the lodgings of le Domaine
d' Armagnac accomodate you for all your moments
of relaxation
At
the summit of this picturesque mediaeval village
is the fine silhouette of its "flammé"
(ceramic of varigated colours due to the firing
process) steeple, viewed rising above the rooftops.
l
Walking
in the footsteps of the pilgrims of Saint
Jacques de Compostelle, the visitor passes
through the Theron gate, one of the three
fortified gates of the city, into a maze
of streets and alleys, squares bordered
by ancient residences and private mansions
from the 15th and 16th centuries.
The
topography of this medieval town, classed
among the Most Beautiful French Villages,
has remained intact for 600 years.
Thus, for the traveller coming from the high plateau of l'Aubrac or des Causses,
the view of the ancient estates is that which has remained literally unchanged
for several centuries.
Among
the most known are the Caylus and Dufus houses
and the home of the Consul of Rodelle. The castle,
dating from the 11th century, belonged initially
to the lords of Calmont and was then transformed
into residences for the lords of Castelnau de
Bretounoux. Today it houses the city hall.
It
was Antoine d'Estaing, bishop of Angoulême
and prior of Saint Côme who built the
flamboyant Gothic-style church, with its odd,
"twisted" flammé steeple.
It remains unknown if the spiral was intended
by the builders or if the steeple twisted
from the effects of its frame. In any case;
during the religious wars of the 16th century
and the Revolution, the steeple served
as a watchtower.
A
sentry service was once stationed there
nignt and day. Saint Côme was constructed
from 1522 to 1532 by the
best Rouerguat architect, Antoine Salvanh,
who also built the Rodez Cathedral.
The church preserves the heart of
Monseigneur Frayssinous, Minister of Public
Education under Charles X (brother of Louis
XVI), who sojourned in Saint
Côme at the home of d'Armagnac.
The church interior is of Gothic style
and houses a remarkable Christ in walnut
wood,
believed to have been sculpted by the same
hand as the choir of the Rodez Cathedral.
The doors of the church are in sculpted oak;
each is studded with 365 wrought-iron nails.
The doors have been classified a Historic
Monument. Close to the church is the old manor
of the lords of Calmont, built in the 12th
century.
The
Barrieyre gate leads to the "Lou barry del Therral",
an old district the beginning of which is marked by
antique shops.
As for the Lot bridge, it dates from the middle of the 16th century.
Also to be discovered on a visit to the town is the Chapelle des penitents blancs
(Chapel of White Sinners), once Saint
Pierre-de-la-Bouysse, Saint Côme's first church. It was the seat of the
Penitent religious order until 1930.
