Lectoure (; Gascon: ''Leitora'' ) is a commune in the

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

department in the Occitanie region in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is located north of

Auch Auch (; oc, label= Gascon, Aush ) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony. Geography Localization Hydrography The ...

, the capital of the department, south of

Agen The commune of Agen (, ; ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. Geography The city of Agen lies in the southwestern departme ...

and approximately northwest of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

Geography

The village is located on the right bank of the

, which flows north through the western part of the commune. The river Auroue forms part of the commune's southeastern and northeastern borders. Map commune FR insee code 32208

History

Lectoure was a prehistoric

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

, capital of Lactorates. Barbarian invasions forced residents to raise the walls and make Lectoure a stronghold for centuries. The town became the capital city of the Earldom of Armagnac in 1325, ruled by a powerful family descended from the ancient Dukes of Gascony, who held court at Lectoure. In 1473 Cardinal Jean de Jouffroy besieged the town on behalf of Louis XI. and after its fall put the whole population to the sword. In 1562 it again suffered severely at the hands of the Catholics under Blaise de Montluc.

Population

Sites of interest

Lectoure has been designated as a " town of art and history" (French: ''Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire'') by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication since 1985. The 12th-16th century former

Lectoure Cathedral Lectoure Cathedral (''Cathédrale Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais de Lectoure'') is a Roman Catholic church in the town of Lectoure, France. It is a national monument. It was the seat of the former Diocese of Lectoure. The cathedral is divided u ...

is a national monument. The

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

was built between 1676 and 1682 by

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

Hugues de Bar.

Way of St. James

Lectoure is a town on the Via Podiensis, one of the three major French arms of the Way of St. James. This route is followed by those making the pilgrimage from Le Puy by way of

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John t theFoot of hePass"; eu, Donibane Garazi; es, San Juan Pie de Puerto) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothi ...

to Santiago de Compostella in northwest

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

s arrive at Lectoure after

Miradoux Miradoux (; oc, Miradors) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. Geography The river Auroue forms most of the commune's western border and the Arrats all of its southeastern border. Population See also *Communes of t ...

and next pass through

Marsolan Marsolan (; oc, Marçolan) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. Geography Population See also *Communes of the Gers department The following is a list of the 461 communes of the Gers department of France. The co ...

and

La Romieu La Romieu (; oc, L'Arromiu) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. It is known for its magnificent Collégiale St. Pierre, a 14th-century church with a cloister and a tower. Geography Population Sights * * Jardins de ...

Cuisine

Locally produced

Armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...

and

foie gras Foie gras (, ; ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a duck or goose. According to French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by gavage (force feeding). Foie gras is a popular and well-known delica ...

are available and popular delicacies.

Notable people

Pierre Charron Pierre Charron (; 1541 – 16 November 1603, Paris), French Catholic theologian and major contributor to the new thought of the 17th century. He is remembered for his controversial form of skepticism and his separation of ethics from religion as ...

* Pierre Feuga, writer, translator *

Pey de Garros Pey de Garros ( modern Gascon: ''Pèir de Garròs''; 1530–1585), was the most important Occitan poet of the Renaissance. He was instrumental in the evolution of the Gascon dialect into a literary language. Garros was born at Lectoure, Gascony. ...

Joseph Lagrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaJean Lannes Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napoleon's ...

Paul Noël Lasseran Paul Noël Lasseran (1868 – 17 February 1933) was a French painter, decorator and poet from Lectoure. He is best known for his murals and decor in various churches throughout Gers. These include Chapelle des Carmélites, Lectoure (1889), Égl ...

* Antoine de Roquelaure * Aurélie Soubiran, Princess Ghika (1820–1904), writer.

References

External links

*
Lectoure on the map of France with many details
via

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

Via Podiensis Map

The Way of St. James
French website Communes of Gers {{Gers-geo-stub