Sarlat-la-Canéda (; oc, Sarlat e La Canedat), commonly known as Sarlat, is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the southwestern French department of

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...

, a part of

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

. Sarlat and La Canéda were distinct towns until merged into one commune in 1965.

Geography

The town of Sarlat is in a region known in France as Périgord Noir. It lies in the southeastern part of the

department, 7 km north of the river

. Sarlat railway station offers train services to Bergerac,

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

and

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is al ...

. The commune is also served by Brive Vallée de la Dordogne airport (50 km), Bergerac Roumanière airport (70 km) and two bus lines.

History

Sarlat is a medieval town that developed around a large

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

of Carolingian origin. The medieval

Sarlat Cathedral Sarlat Cathedral (''Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos de Sarlat'') is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in Sarlat-la-Canéda, France. It is a national monument. The Diocese of Sarlat was established in 1317 with a number of bishopri ...

is dedicated to Saint Sacerdos. This abbey appears in records as early as 1081 and was one of the few in the region that was not raided by the Vikings. The name for the abbey church was Saint Sacerdos by 1318; in the 20th century, it would become a cathedral under

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. Because modern history has largely passed it by, Sarlat has remained preserved and one of the towns most representative of 14th-century France. Its historic centre, with 77 protected monuments, was added to France's Tentative List for future nomination as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 2002. The excellent state of preservation owed a debt to writer, resistance fighter and politician

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and Minister of Culture (France), minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Go ...

, who, as Minister of Culture (1960–1969), restored the town and many other sites of historic significance throughout France. The centre of the old town consists of impeccably restored stone buildings and is largely car-free.Contested Tastes: Foie Gras and the Politics of Food page 91
/ref>

Population

Sarlat-la-Canéda-Place.jpg Sarlat, France, portable still 1993.jpg, Portable still at Sarlat Sarlat-medieval-city-by-night-13.jpg, House of De La Boétie, the immortal friend of Montaigne Sarlat.jpg, Centre of Sarlat on a summer's day

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

: Agriculture has long been of importance in the

area around Sarlat.

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

has been grown around Sarlat since 1857 and has historically been a major commodity for the area, although it is on the wane. Other agricultural commodities include corn, hay, walnuts, walnut oil, cheeses, wine, cèpes (a species of wild mushroom) and truffles. *

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

: Numerous visitors—especially from northern Europe (the United Kingdom, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, Belgium, Germany, etc.)—come on holiday to Sarlat and the region surrounding it and some have settled there permanently. The months of July and August are traditionally the ''haute saison'' (high season) for visitors, as is true in much of France outside Paris. *

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 ...

: There are several large foie gras

factories A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

including Rougié, and many small producers of foie gras in the area; other farms raise

geese A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the she ...

and ducks to produce products (

confit Confit (, ) (from the French word '' confire'', literally "to preserve") is any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period as a method of preservation. Confit, as a cooking term, describes when food is cooked in grease, oil, or sugar ...

pâté ''Pâté'' ( , , ) is a paste, pie or loaf filled with a forcemeat. Common forcemeats include ground meat from pork, poultry, fish or beef; fat, vegetables, herbs, spices and either wine or brandy (often cognac or armagnac). It is often ser ...

, etc.) from these birds. The commune holds an annual three day festival, "Fest'oie", in honour of this significant part of its economy which also attracts numerous tourists.Foie Gras Behind the Scenes of a French Delicacy
/ref> A film festival has been held in the commune every November since 1991. Other events include the Truffle Festival, Christmas Market and Fest’oie in winter, the Ringueta of traditional games, and the Theatre Games Festival.Visit Sarlat la Canéda
/ref>

Notable inhabitants

Cimetière Sarlat Sarlat was the birthplace of: *

Étienne de La Boétie Étienne or Estienne de La Boétie (; oc, Esteve de La Boetiá; 1 November 1530 – 18 August 1563) was a French magistrate, classicist, writer, poet and political theorist, best remembered for his intense and intimate friendship with essayist ...

(1530–1563), judge, writer, and philosopher, friend of Montaigne *

François Fournier-Sarlovèze François Louis Fournier-Sarlovèze (6 September 1773 Sarlat, France – 18 January 1827) was a French general of the Napoleonic Wars. Biography Born in Sarlat in 1773, his father owned a cabaret. In his youth, he received solid instruction b ...

(1773-1827), French general of the Napoleonic Wars *

Gauthier de Costes, seigneur de la Calprenède Gauthier de Costes, seigneur de la Calprenède (1609 or 1610 – 1663) was a French novelist and dramatist. He was born at the Château of Tolgou in Salignac-Eyvigues (Dordogne). After studying at Toulouse, he came to Paris and entered the reg ...

(c.1610-1663), novelist and

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

* Gabriel Tarde, judge and sociologist (1843–1904) *

, a square and a gallery of paintings bear the name of the former Minister of Culture. This is explained by the fact that he is considered by many Sarladais as the saviour of the historical district of the city. While visiting Sarlat, he realised that the city was in danger of ruins in certain neighbourhoods and that some monuments were being destroyed. The Saved Areas Act was drafted to save the city. *

Jean-Jacques de Peretti Jean-Jacques de Peretti (born 21 September 1946) is a politics of France, French politician who has served as mayor of Sarlat-la-Canéda since 1989. References

1946 births French Ministers of Overseas France Living people Recipients o ...

, mayor of the city since 1989.

Cultural references

The town and region have featured in two major Hollywood films: Ridley Scott's ''

The Duellists ''The Duellists'' is a 1977 British historical drama film and the feature film directorial debut of Ridley Scott. It won the Best Debut Film award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. The basis of the screenplay is the Joseph Conrad short story "T ...

'' (1978), based on Joseph Conrad's Napoleonic tale; and more recently ''

Timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale represen ...

'' (2003), adapted from Michael Crichton's time-travel novel, and set in 14th-century France. In the cemetery of Sarlat one can admire the pyramid tomb of

, who inspired the story behind ''The Duellists''. Other movies partly shot in Sarlat include: *'' Ever After: a Cinderella Story'' (1998) by Andy Tennant *''

The Musketeer ''The Musketeer'' is a 2001 American action-adventure film based on Alexandre Dumas's classic 1844 novel ''The Three Musketeers'', directed and photographed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Tim Roth and ...

'' (2001) by

Peter Hyams Peter Hyams (born July 26, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer known for directing ''Capricorn One'' (which he also wrote), the 1981 science fiction-thriller '' Outland'', the 1984 science fiction film '' 2010: Th ...

*''

Jacquou le Croquant ''Jacquou le Croquant'' is a 2007 French historical film, based on the 1899 novel of the same name by Eugène Le Roy. Set in the Dordogne during the Bourbon Restoration, it tells the story of a young peasant who leads a revolt against an evil n ...

'' (2007) by

Laurent Boutonnat Laurent Boutonnat (born 14 June 1961) is a French composer and film and music video director, best known as the songwriting partner of Mylène Farmer and the director of several groundbreaking music videos. Career Born in Paris, Laurent Bouton ...

*'' The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'' (1999) by

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films ''Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the ' ...

The city also appears in the first instalments of French author

Robert Merle Robert Merle (; 28 August 1908 – 27 March 2004) was a French novelist. Early life Merle was born in 1908 in Tébessa, French Algeria. His father Félix, who was an interpreter "with a perfect knowledge of literary and spoken Arabic", was kille ...

's saga '' Fortune de France'', which tells the story of a fictitious

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...