Beautiful Villages of the Dordogne
41
Beautiful Villages of the Dordogne
Saint Amand-de-Coly
Saint Amand de Coly is a pretty town in the Southern Dordogne not far from Montignac.
In the centre of Saint Amand is its fortified church which is reputed to be the most beautiful fortified church in the Dordogne. The village is named after Saint Amand who was a hermit living in a cave in the hillside in the 6th century.
The abbey church dates back to the 12th century and next to the church are the abbey remains. In the 14th century the church was converted into a fortress but despite its additional defences it remains a beautiful Romanesque church.
Saint Leon-sur-Vezere
Saint Leon-sur-Vezere is in the southern Dordogne 25 km from Sarlat.
The church in St Leon sur Vezere is on the site of an ancient Gallo-Roman villa and you can see some traces of this on the side of the church next to the river.
It is on the pilgrim route that led from the Abbey of Vezelay in Burgundy and on towards the abbeys at Cadouin and Saint Avit Senieur.
Saint- Jean-de-Cole
Saint Jean-de-Cole is in the Northern Dordogne near Thivers.
The village square is flanked on one side by the Chateau de la Marthonie which was built over a period of time and represents different design periods.
On another side of the square is the Romanesque Byzantine church of St Jean Baptist built in the 12 th century.
The other sides of the sqaure have tradtional cottage-style houses.
41