Cahors (; ) is a commune in the western part of

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of the Lot department and the historical center of the

Quercy Quercy (; , locally ) is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and Auverg ...

, Cahors is home to 20,141 ''cadurciennes'' and ''cadurciens'' (2021). Nestled in a

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the Channel (geography), channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erosion, erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank, cut bank or river cl ...

of the Lot and surrounded by steep arid limestone hills, this historic city is home to a great monumental diversity, mainly inherited from

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingd ...

and the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

; the city's

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

s include a historic city centre, Saint-Étienne cathedral, Roman walls and the famous Valentré bridge (a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

as part of the pilgrimage path to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

). Famed for its

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

and gastronomy (

truffle A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), Tuber''. More than one hundred other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including ''Geopora'', ''P ...

s and

foie gras ; (, ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a Domestic duck, duck or Domestic goose, goose. According to French law, ''foie gras'' is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by ''gavage'' (force feeding). ''Foie gras'' i ...

), this southern French city holds the label of the French Towns of Art and History. The Cadurcian economy is reliant on tertiary services and makes Cahors the Lot's economic centre.

History

Cahors has had a rich history since Celtic times. The original name of the town was Divona or ''Divona Cadurcorum'', "Divona of the

Cadurci The Cadurci were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the later region of Quercy (in present-day France) during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Cadurcus'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), ''Kadou͂rkoi'' (Καδοῦρκοι) b ...

," Divona was a fountain, now called "la fontaine des Chartreux", worshiped by the Cadurci, a Celtic people of Gaul before the Roman conquest in the 50s BC. The Cadurci were among the last Celtic tribes to resist the Roman invasion. ''Cahors'' derives from ''Cadurcorum''. However, romanization was rapid and profound: Cahors became a large Roman city, with many monuments whose remnants can be seen today. It has declined economically since the Middle Ages, and lost its university in the 18th century. Today it is a popular tourist centre with people coming to enjoy its medieval quarter and the 14th-century fortified Valentré bridge. It is the seat of the Diocese of Cahors. It was also notorious at that time for the financiers widely known as Cahorsins, Christians who charged interest on their loans. The church in these times said that using money as an end in itself (

usury Usury () is the practice of making loans that are seen as unfairly enriching the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is charged in e ...

) was a sin. Because of this Cahors became synonymous with this sin, and was mentioned in

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

's Inferno (XI.50) alongside Sodom as wicked.

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...

, born Jacques Duèze or d'Euse, was born in Cahors in 1244, the son of a shoemaker. In the

2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France the 94th running of Tour de France, the race, took place from 7 to 29 July. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and ...

, Cahors was the start of stage 18. Cahors also in the 2022 Tour de France was the finish of stage 19.

Geography

The town is situated north of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, on the RN20 / A20, connecting the city, via

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and height above sea level is between and . The area of the town is , with population density relatively high for France at .

Population

Main sites

* The Valentré Bridge, the symbol of the town. Building began in 1308 and was completed in 1378. The legend associated with this bridge is one of the most fully realized of all

Devil's Bridge Devil's Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement in ancient architecture. Due to their unusu ...

legends, with a carefully developed plot, complex characters, and a surprising dénouement. When the bridge was restored in 1879, the architect Paul Gout made reference to this by placing a small sculpture of the devil at the summit of one of the towers. * Cathédrale Saint-Étienne, a national monument. *Saint-Barthélémy Church (14th century). *Maison Henri IV or Hôtel de Roaldès (15th century). *Daurade quarter with: **Maison Hérétié (14th–16th centuries) **Maison Dolive (17th century) **Maison du Bourreau (13th century) *The barbican that once defended the Barre Gate. *Tour des pendus. *Palais Duèze. *Tower of Pope John XXII. *Collège Pélegry. *Cloister *Arc de Diane, a relic of ancient Roman baths. *

Roman Amphitheatre Roman amphitheatres are theatres — large, circular or oval open-air venues with tiered seating — built by the ancient Romans. They were used for events such as gladiator combats, ''venationes'' (animal slayings) and executions. About List of R ...

– remains of an oval amphitheatre were revealed when the underground car park was excavated at the Place Gambetta, just west of, and partially beneath, Boulevard Gambetta in the city centre. The stone walls can be seen in the car park first level, below the statue of Leon Gambetta, and opened to the public in April 2009.

Wine

The area around Cahors produces wine, primarily robust and tannic red wine. Wine from the

Cahors Cahors (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of t ...

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

must be made from at least 70%

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are ...

(also called Cot, Auxerrois and Pressac) grape, with a maximum of 30%

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

or Tannat grape varieties.

Culture

The Cahors Blues Festival has taken place annually, in July, since 1982.

Education

From 1331 to 1751 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cahors managed the . Pope John XXII granted a charter on 7 June 1331. The university had three colleges at Cahors: Pélegry (1358), Rodez (1371), and San Michel (1473). Fénelon studied at this institution, which, in 1751, was dissolved as a separate institution and annexed to the

University of Toulouse The University of Toulouse (, ) is a community of universities and establishments ( ComUE) based in Toulouse, France. Originally it was established in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the ...

. The institution had faculties covering theology, law, medicine, arts and literature. The university dissolved in 1751 and faculties annexed into the University of Toulouse.

Notable people

* * Gerald of Braga (died 1109),

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monk and Bishop of Braga * Jacques de Via (died 1317) & Arnaud de Via (died 1335), Roman Catholic cardinals *

(1244 – 1334), Pope from 1316 to 1334, born Jacques Duèze. *

Clément Marot Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544) was a French Renaissance poet. He was influenced by the writers of the late 15th century and paved the way for the Pléiade, and is undoubtedly the most important poet at the court of Fr ...

(1496–1544), a Renaissance poet. * Blaise Gisbert (1657–1731), a Jesuit rhetorician and critic. * Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751), Jesuit priest and writer. * Antoine Cavalleri (1698–1765), Jesuit professor of maths during the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...

* Jean-Baptiste Bessières (1768 in Prayssac – 1813), 1st Duke of Istria, military commander and

Marshal of the Empire Marshal of the Empire () was a civil dignity during the First French Empire. It was established by on 18 May 1804 and to a large extent reinstated the formerly abolished title of Marshal of France. According to the ''Sénatus-consulte'', a Mar ...

. * Charles Combes (1801–1872), engineer, his name is on the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

Léon Gambetta Léon Gambetta (; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government. Early life and education Born in Cahors, ...

(1838-1882), lawyer, politician and statesman; proclaimed the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

in 1870. * François Deloncle (1856–1922), an orientalist, journalist, diplomat and politician. * Jules Combarieu (1859–1916),

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

and music critic. * Marie-Louise Dissard OBE GM (1881–1957), member of the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

during WWII. * Louis Darquier de Pellepoix (1897–1980), Commissioner-General for Jewish Affairs under the Vichy Régime * Georges Gorse (1915-2002), politician and diplomat. * Marcel Marceau (1923–2007), actor and mime artist, died in Cahors rest home. * Émile Parisien (born 1982), a soprano and alto saxophonist, jazz musician and composer.

Sport

* Philippe Benetton (born 1968), former rugby union footballer, now head coach * Fabien Galthié (born 1969), rugby union player now head coach of the France national team. * Oussama Souaidy (born 1981), a retired footballer who also played for

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Climate

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control Celtic archaeological sites Communes of Lot (department) Prefectures in France Roman amphitheatres in France Gallia Aquitania Quercy