Visit itinerary for Villefranche-de-Lauragais

Place Gambetta

Place Gambetta

It is around this square that the city has developed since its creation. Originally smaller, it has always been a place for the exchange of goods. In the Middle Ages, this square was surely bordered by wooden galleries (covered areas) under which there were stalls and small shops.

This place was completely redeveloped in 1875.

Place des Tabernoles

4 min journey. walk

Place des Tabernoles

Villefranche was once surrounded by ramparts and closed by two large fortified gates, located on either side of what is now Rue de la République. This district known as “tabernoles” (wine merchants) was located outside the fortified city: it was attached to the commune of Renneville until 1864.

Jardin public

1 min journey. walk

Public garden

Sacred destiny for this peaceful place! Located outside the walls, it was the old cemetery of the city, then a market place for sheep, before welcoming walkers and children for a relaxing or fun stopover (playground).

Old school

2 min journey. walk

Old school

This large building was the town's old school. Boys and girls had separate entrances. A hospital managed by Sisters, as well as a boarding school, occupied this building for a time.

Rue des Prêtres

4 min journey. walk

Rue des Prêtres

This narrow street was a firebreak in the heart of the medieval bastide. Its location set back from the main road later gave it a vital role for the city: that of an open-air sewer!
It was at this moment that the Occitan nickname “Cantou Merdous” appeared.
You can still see many small bridges which spanned the old alley (small alley) and allowed you to go from one house to another without going out into the street!

Merchants Hall

2 min journey. walk

Merchants Hall

It is so called in relation to the grain market which was located on the site of the current town hall (destroyed in the 70s). It occupies the site of an old square market hall, adjacent to the church, used for the pastel trade.
The current market hall was built in 1858 when commerce in Villefranche experienced its golden age thanks to the opening of the railway line: merchants flocked from all over Lauragais to sell the products necessary for daily life.

Church of Our Lady of the Assumption

1 min journey. walk

Church of Our Lady of the Assumption

This church was built at the end of the 13th century at the request of Jeanne de Toulouse, daughter of the famous Count of Toulouse Raymond VII and wife of Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of the future king Saint Louis.
The imposing bell tower, surrounded by its two turrets and pierced by six bell tower bays, is instantly recognizable! The building was extensively remodeled and enlarged in 1865 to accommodate all the faithful and erase the scars of the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion.

Before entering, notice the Mermaid carved on the top of the door. Original, isn't it? The fact that it appears on the entrance portal of a church carries a profound symbolism: by entering the building from the west, the Believer leaves Death and Sin behind him.
Inside, we discover stained glass windows from the Toulouse house Gesta, as well as a beautiful sandstone Trinity from the 16th century in the first chapel on the left as you enter.

Rue de la république

Rue de la république

One of the oldest houses in Villefranche-De-Lauragais is located in this street, it dates from 1634! A little further on is the old Town Hall, and just opposite, a beautiful facade with antique-inspired statues.
Continuing, you can see elegant houses with facades decorated with friezes and terracotta moldings, false columns, or even half-timbered wood. A true mix of genres known as eclecticism in architecture.
At the end of the street, the main axis of communication since the Middle Ages, take advantage of a stop at the square du Général De Gaulle and observe the “Art Deco” style buildings of the former Bains Douches, now transformed into a municipal library.

Administrative city

6 min journey. walk

Administrative city

From 1800, the town became sub-prefecture of Haute-Garonne and acquired numerous buildings including a gendarmerie, a prison and a court.
This distinction ends in 1926.

Sainte Germaine Chapel

3 min journey. walk

Sainte Germaine Chapel

In 1854, a cholera epidemic caused the death of 143 people in France. The disease had affected a large majority of villages in Lauragais, but the Villefranchois were relatively spared. This chapel was built in 000 in homage to Saint Germaine, patron saint of the weak and the sick, to thank her for her protection against illness.