Attractions and Places To See around Francescas - Top 20

The Château Henri IV of Nérac, former residence of the lords of Albret, bears witness to the city's rich Renaissance past. Overlooking the Baïse, it was one of the living places of the future King Henri IV and remains today a must-see to discover the history of Albret.

Don't miss La Romieu to greet Angeline and the cats. I didn't see any, at least not alive ones. I didn't stop there either. To get there, I took the 6 km road; you can also get there via the GR (Greater French National Trail). Its Saint-Pierre collegiate church, a 14th-century Gothic masterpiece listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is imposing. Now for the legend... Around 1342, a terrible famine struck La Romieu. The starving inhabitants went so far as to eat all the cats in the village, thinking they were preserving their meager resources. But a little girl named Angeline, an orphan taken in by a local couple, adored cats. She hid two in the cellar, secretly feeding them, and then they bred. A little later, with all the cats gone, the village was invaded by thousands of rats, destroying the meager grain reserves and causing an even worse disaster. It was then that Angeline freed her cats. They multiplied again, drove out the rats, and saved the village. Angeline was honored by the villagers, and according to legend, her face took on the appearance of a cat, with feline features—a magical transformation to thank her love and loyalty to cats. Today, in tribute to this story, numerous cat statues adorn the streets, facades, and rooftops of the village.

Nérac Castle was founded in the 14th century, within a medieval town surrounded by walls and backing onto the Baïse River. Beginning in 1491, Alain d'Albret modernized this first tower and had three wings built. The west wing included the drawbridge and service rooms, the north wing housed Jeanne d'Albret's apartments, and the east wing constituted the main building of the castle. It was in this castle that Marguerite de Navarre, sister of Francis I and author of the Heptaméron, lived. A committed humanist, she brought Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples, nicknamed the French Erasmus, to Nérac. Jeanne d'Albret, her daughter, was also sensitive to the ideas of her time and brought Théodore de Bèze to her court, before converting to Protestantism. It was in this context that Henry III of Navarre, the future King Henry IV, lived. He lived in this château for about ten years with Queen Marguerite de Valois, known as Queen Margot. The latter was responsible for the creation of the 3000-Step Avenue in the Parc de la Garenne, along the Baïse. This avenue, punctuated over the years with new fountains, was then surrounded by walls and accessible from the château by a bridge. The years following the assassination of Henri IV by Ravaillac in 1610 marked the decline of the château, first due to royal reprisals against Protestants and then due to the destruction caused by the French Revolution in 1793, when the château was declared national property. After the revolutionary destruction, only the north wing of the château remained, with its twisted columns so characteristic of the Renaissance style. The château was divided into lots and inhabited by several owners. Gradually, the municipality became interested in restoring the château, and a restoration project was drawn up by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, whose sketches are on display in the museum. However, it wasn't until 1925 that the city became the owner of the entire building and began a restoration project to house the municipal museum. Since then, the royal residence and writer's home, the Château-Musée Henri IV, has offered visitors a permanent exhibition dedicated to Henri IV and the d'Albret family on the first floor, and the art of living during the Renaissance on the ground floor through various themes.

Nérac is, like Amboise, a royal city insofar as the commune is the fief of the lords of Albret who became king of Navarre in the 15th century. It is also the epicentre of Protestantism. After the massacre of Saint Bartholomew, a treaty between the two religions was born in this city. This is the Edict of Nérac which restored rights for Protestants. It was signed on 28 February 1579 between King Henry III and the religionists. After the death of Henry III in 1589, the city lost its influence, because having no descendants, it was Henri de Navarre-Bourbon-Albret who became king of France under the name of Henri IV. It is then said that when the doors of Paris opened to Henry, those of fame closed for Nérac.

The visit to Nérac revolves around its navigable river, the Baïse. From the Saint-Nicolas church or the Petit Nérac viewpoint, you can see the port, the Old Bridge and the tanneries which today house an art gallery and restaurants. The walk takes place along the streets (Maison des Conferences, Château d'Henri IV and its museum) and in the Royal Park of La Garenne redesigned by Queen Margot, wife of Henri IV.

After the effort, the Rocamadour gate brings hope of a good beer.

The Baïse river is navigable over 62km from April 1st to November 1st. Beautiful, wild and relaxing, it lets us go with the flow. Its major asset: its tranquillity. Cruising speed is limited to 6km/h. Boaters cross Gascony at a slow pace, the departments of Gers and Lot-et-Garonne to stop over in the territories of Albret and Ténarèze. Nérac, one of the most beautiful river ports in France, welcomes you for a colorful stopover!

Located on the road to Santiago de Compostela (GR 65 coming from Puy-en-Velay), La Romieu is on the historic Lectoure-La Romieu-Condom section and receives a large number of pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela every year.