Sauveterre-la-Lémance (; ) is a commune in the

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, ) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.department in south-western

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

Surrounded by green hills and situated in the Lémance valley on the borders of

Bouriane Bouriane is a natural region of France located in the department of Lot, but with a smaller part in Lot-et-Garonne. Its capital is the small town of Gourdon.Périgord noir, it borders the departments of

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

and Lot. Sauveterre-la-Lémance station has rail connections to Périgueux and Agen.

Château

Château des Rois ducs Le Château des Rois ducs (also known as Château de Sauveterre) is a castle in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Sauveterre-la-Lémance in the Lot-et-Garonne ''Departments of France, département'' of France. History It was constructed at t ...

(also known as Château de Sauveterre) is a fortified castle located above the village. It was built at the end of the thirteenth century by

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

in a strategic position between

Périgord Périgord ( , ; ; or ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is divided into f ...

and

Agen Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485. Geography The city of Agen l ...

. During the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

, it became a center-piece in the Franco-English war of attrition. It was burnt down in 1789 during the French Revolution. It was bought by aviator

Jean Mermoz Jean Mermoz (9 December 1901 – 7 December 1936) was a French people, French aviator, viewed as a hero by other pilots such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and in his native France, where many schools bear his name. In Brazil, he also is recognized ...

in 1936, a year before his death. The castle has been classified as historical monument since September 19, 2003. As of 2020, it is a private property and is not open to the public.

Prehistoric Museum

SauveTerre Musée de Préhistoire is a museum that exhibits collections from

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

digs in the Lémance valley, including part of the collection of L. Coulonges, a self-taught

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

who undertook excavations in the Lémance valley in the 1920s. Sauveterre-La-Lemance is home to several

sites. The museum holds walking tours to the

Martinet The martinet () is a punitive device traditionally used in France and other parts of Europe. The word also has other usages, described below. Object A martinet is a short, scourge-like (multi-tail) type of whip made of a wooden handle of about ...

site along the Lemance river as well as providing brochures for self-guided walks. In 1923, Laurence Coulonges discovered remains of a

prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

culture between the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

and

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period, somewhere between 7,000-9,500 years old. The first museum was installed by Coulonges on the first floor of the building, originally a girls' school. From 1972 onwards, further excavation of the archaeological sites renewed interest in the

Fumel Fumel (; ) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France. Situated at the right bank of the river Lot, it is the centre of a small agglomeration (population 13,028 in 2017) which consists of 7 communes, including Monsem ...

area. The current museum was inaugurated in 1994, particularly devoted to the

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

period, in which men gradually passed from a society of hunter-gatherers to a way of life of producers and farmers. They have a year-round program of educational activities and tours for children as well as temporary exhibitions.

References

Sauveterrelalemance {{LotGaronne-geo-stub

Geography

Château

Prehistoric Museum

See also

References