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The Baïse River Discovery Trail is very pleasant and very bucolic. The Baïse has been a communication and navigation route since the Middle Ages. Barges (gabarres) or bachots (bachots) traveled down the river to Agen, transporting agricultural goods, wheat, wine, Armagnac, timber, and more. Twenty-one locks are located along its length. Today, it is used by unlicensed boats and converted barges. You will pass Flaran Abbey, a superb Cistercian building founded in 1151 and very well preserved. This trail along the Baïse is very well laid out; I even found dry toilets just before Valence-sur-Baïse, next to a picnic area. Bravo again!

Condom, a former episcopal city crossed by the Baïse River, is renowned for its Saint-Pierre Cathedral and its Armagnac-related past. In front of the cathedral stands the famous statue of the Four Musketeers (D'Artagnan and his companions), a tribute to Alexandre Dumas' novel and the famous captain's Gascon roots.

A primitive building was consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096. It was the priory church of the Benedictines. It became a parish church after the priory was sold in 1666. In 1697, the bell tower collapsed. In 1749, the church was in danger of collapse. The current church was rebuilt between 1758 and 1785. During the Revolution, the church became the "supreme temple." In 1855, the bell towers were added and the sacristy was rebuilt. The church, in the shape of a Latin cross, includes a nave. Its façade is adorned with four fluted pilasters with Ionic capitals supporting a triangular pediment. The stained-glass windows are from the 19th century. They depict scenes from the life of Saint Joseph, the Agony of Christ, scenes from the life of the Virgin, Pentecost, Saint Louis, Saint John the Baptist, and the Immaculate Conception. The prophets and kings of Israel can be seen: Abraham, Daniel, Abel, Noah, Moses, Elijah, Aaron, Melchizedek, sibyls, as well as a Virgin and Child, a Pietà, and the coat of arms of Abbot de Vivie.

Perched high in the Lot-et-Garonne region, Moncrabeau offers a superb panoramic view of the Baïse Valley. Known as the "world capital of liars," the village holds a lying competition every summer, organized by the Académie des Menteurs (Liars' Academy), a good-natured tradition that has made its reputation far beyond the region.

celebrated in 2024

Founded in 1284, Vianne is one of the rare bastides in the southwest that has retained its fortification system: its city walls, four gates and towers, which are now practically intact, have withstood the onslaught of time and man and are one of the most authentic bastides testifying to Albret's medieval past. With the road crossing and the four gates, this design is reminiscent of Roman urban architecture with cardo and decumanus. The Romanesque church is atypically located on the edge of the town.

The church of Vianne is not in the center but on the edge of the village near the east gate. It is dedicated to both Notre Dame and St. Christopher. There are some very special capitals. It is reasonable to assume that there was also a priory and hospital or pilgrims' hostel here. Perhaps this was intended to keep the sick closer to the edge of the town?

The name of Saint Christopher (Saint-CHRISTOPHE), to whom this Romanesque church in Vianne is dedicated, means "Christ-bearer". According to the legend of the saint, he was a gigantic man and carried people across a river. One day a small child called to him and he carried it on his shoulders to the other bank. Amazingly, the child became heavier and he said he felt as if the weight of the whole world was on his shoulders. Then the child revealed himself to him as Jesus Christ, Savior and Redeemer of the world.