The best running trails in Lot-et-Garonne

The vast majority of large churches in France bear the title "Notre-Dame" (which in German corresponds to the – much rarer – "Unserer Lieben Frau"). The patronage of this house of worship in the historic center of Marmande, and thus the corresponding parish community, has therefore been entrusted to Mary. The church itself is architecturally in the transition period from Romanesque to Gothic.

Bonaguil is home to an ancient 13th-century fortified castle of the same name. The town offers a beautiful setting for a stopover. It also hosts a festival every August, featuring wonderful plays.

[In Advent] "we hear in the Gospel the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist. He appears in the desert and calls people to conversion so that they may prepare for the coming of the Lord. His call reminds us that Advent is not only a time of waiting, but also of interior preparation. "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths" (Luke 3:4). John's message challenges us to examine our lives. What "rough paths" and "crooked roads" are there in our hearts? Where have we perhaps distanced ourselves from God or lost sight of our fellow human beings? John invites us to remove these obstacles and reorient our lives. But his call has not only a personal dimension, but also a social one: the way of the Lord is a way of justice, peace and reconciliation. When we pave the way of the Lord, we bring light into the darkness of the world and hope into the hearts of people." (Text: Michael Inden, Diocesan President of the KAB in the Archdiocese of Cologne)

Saint John the Baptist (Saint Jean Baptiste), to whom this church in Clermont-Dessous is dedicated, is - like Saint Joseph - a man on the threshold of the Old and New Testaments. His parents are Zacharias and Elisabeth, and after the announcement of the Incarnation of God through them, the Mother of God visits her relative Elisabeth, who will give birth to a son in her old age, namely John the Baptist. He is half a year older than Jesus and is considered his forerunner/pioneer. He lives in the desert, preaches repentance from sins to the Jewish population and baptizes them in the Jordan, where Jesus also comes to be baptized, and is filled with the Holy Spirit who descends upon him from heaven. The feast day of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in the calendar of saints is June 24, exactly half a year before 'Christmas Eve'.

Saint John the Baptist, to whom this church in Clermont-Dessous is dedicated, is—like Saint Joseph—a man at the threshold between the Old and New Testaments. His parents were Zechariah and Elizabeth. After the Annunciation of the Incarnation, the Virgin Mary visited her relative Elizabeth, who, in her old age, would give birth to a son, John the Baptist. He was six months older than Jesus and is considered his forerunner. He lived in the desert, preached repentance to the Jewish population, and baptized them in the Jordan River. Jesus also came to the Jordan to be baptized, and was filled with the Holy Spirit, who descended from heaven. The feast day of Saint John the Baptist in the liturgical calendar is June 24, exactly six months before Christmas Eve.

A literary - albeit rather bizarre in the context of the story - monument has been set by the Spanish author Miguel de CERVANTES to the windmills, with which our ancestors harnessed the energy of the wind centuries ago to move the large and heavy millstones : His tragic novel hero Don Quixote, the “knight of the sad figure”, wants to defeat them in a duel in one episode, believing that he is competing against giants with four arms.

Fortified castle from the 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th centuries, classified as a Historic Monument. Bonaguil Castle is located in Lot-et-Garonne, on the border with Lot and a stone's throw from the Dordogne. From the top of its rocky spur, it dominates the valley and the medieval village. It forms an ensemble, unique in Europe, of gigantic proportions and in a remarkable state of conservation.

Created in 1992, Lake Escourou took a year to fill. It is dammed on the Escourou, a tributary of the Dropt. Nearly 30 years later and the artificial lake is a Natura 2000 classified site. Hosting fishing and windsurfing competitions, it also serves as a training area for the region's firefighting planes, Canadair. Swimming is prohibited there, which has allowed the fauna and flora to establish themselves. Please note: the part of the road on the left bank along the lake is strictly prohibited. If you stay on the asphalt road, you will return to the lake via "La Robinette".