Figeac

Figeac grew around the abbey of Saint-Sauveur on the banks of the Célé. From the twelfth century, its position at a crossroads helped its merchants prosper, and their houses bore witness to the wealth of the medieval town. Religious war brought a violent change. Huguenot troops entered Figeac in 1576 and devastated its churches and convents, including the abbey. The town returned to Catholic control in 1622, opening a period of religious reconstruction.