Is Saint-Cirq-Lapopie the most beautiful village in France?
IT IS A VILLAGE?
Note that the question is not as absurd as it might seem. When tourism is associated with a town or rural place the result can get out of hand becoming very artificial, altered and "souveniristic". But 207 inhabitants live in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie that, as much as they are dedicated to the tourist sector, they spend their days and make their lives in the old houses, cultivate their small gardens and give themselves to crafts. Its streets are rat traps, nervous and uncomfortable for cars . That is why they are pedestrian for all foreigners who are not from here. Therefore, the answer is a yes like a piano.
Sain-Cirque-Lapopie, nervous streets, uncomfortable for cars
HOW DOES IT GET ON WITH NATURE?
The name of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is as rococo as it is bizarre. The first part corresponds to the saint venerated in the place while the 'Lapopie' comes from the mountain on which it is raised which, according to the first inhabitants of the place, had the shape of a breast (which is said 'lapopa' in Occitan ) .
This gigantic boulder rises 80 meters above the river Lot , in a bend from which the upper channel of said current is controlled, as well as its union with the Cele River . And its image is formidable, as a people that miraculously remains on top of the mound and on its slopes, while the Quercy mountains and the Lot valley protect you from all evil . The answer could only be: "of course, they are luxurious."
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, the most beautiful village in France?
IS IT MONUMENTAL?
That no one arrives at Saint-Cirq-Lapopie expecting an iconic monument to arrive, take a photo and leave. The monument is basically the whole set of houses, mansions and gardens . Yes, it is true that the ruins of a castle shine on your postcard, to which it is worth climbing only for the views and the imposing presence of a great church, with the name of the saint and with dimensions with which it seems to want to fulfill its functions. of intimidating strength.
Inside, just a few remains of Romanesque frescoes without much substance. Its strong point is that popular architecture that appears in each alley, that difficult pulse that involves keeping everything as unchanged as possible while receiving visitors and that complex feeling that time lasts longer and is less aggressive. Well that, what it does not need to be monumental.
The monumental of the town is the town itself
IS IT HYPERTURISTIC?
Nope. Neither prices skyrocket nor the Japanese take over the town arriving in hordes of buses. It is true that the award was a little push, but St-Cirq-Lapopie still breathes calm thanks to its location, far from any highway and in the middle of a maze of secondary roads. It is a compulsory para Santiago's road that arises in Le Puy-en-Velay , but his hostel is not usually crowded. But, just in case, it is prepared for the colonization of foreigners with huge car parks that make it a 100% pedestrian town.
Neither prices in the air nor Japanese invading: bearable tourism
AND THE GASTRONOMY... WHAT IS IT?
In France, just like in Spain and Italy, it is difficult to eat badly. And here it is achieved with a great value for money thanks to the formulas (the next step to the menu of the day) with which to enjoy the duck in all your recipes. Then there is the famous Rocamadour cheese and Cahors wine, the two star products of the region. Yes, it is traditional, but of great quality and at a reasonable price.
Here it is VERY difficult to eat badly
IS IT ARTISTIC?
It is difficult to assess what the impact of Andre Breton in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. Until here he arrived in 1950 mobilized by an anti cold war current called Citizens of the world. He was lifting the first world road without borders , a road that crossed St-Cirq, where a milestone had to be placed. After this first visit, the crush arose, the purchase of a house and the life in peace of a man of too much world.
And, as was the case with everything Breton touched, the town became famous and became a magnet for artists . At that time, the art dealer Emile-Joseph Rignault was already restoring an old house to which he would invite other artists like ManRay. These two factors: the presence of Breton and Rignault's public relations revitalized a town practically abandoned after World War II and turned it into a garden of influences , in an agora for artists.
However, the physical legacy of both is the most disparate. While the Rignault house is a museum showing the popular architecture of Lot's great houses mixed with some paintings from his extensive collection, the Breton house, the oldest in all of St-Cirque (dating from the 13th century) is sells for €800,000...
Breton's knock-on effect outlived his generation, attracting artists to this day thanks to the daura house In a building already a historical monument in itself that has now become a summer residence for young artists. The name is inherited from its former owner, Pierre Darura, a Menorcan painter who lived here in the 1930s and where he returned every summer until his death in 1976. As an anecdote, there remains the Breton face that Daura sculpted on one of the wooden crossbars that jut out onto the street. In addition to this residence, St-Cirq-Lapopie can be explored by stopping at the workshops of more or less established artists who have settled here looking for the influence, the inspiration or simply the myth.
The most interesting intervention that contemporary art has left in the stones of this place is found in the 'Chemin de Halage' a path carved into the stone on the banks of the Lot where the artist Daniel Monnier made a series of surprising bas-reliefs in 1990.
IS THE PRIZE FAIR?
Of course, because it is not only a beautiful town, but also has those artistic arguments that add color to the route through its streets. Therefore, if they had asked us, they would have had one more vote.
_*As a final piece of information, simply point out that the preferred town in the second edition of these awards turned out to be Eguisheim, in Alsace.
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie deserves the award