Fleurance

Fleurance

Fleurance, in the valley of the Gers north of Auch, is one of the great bastides of Gascony. In 1272 the Count of Gaure, Géraud de Cazaubon, unable to prevent the sacking of his capital Sempuy by the counts of Armagnac and Foix, sought the king's protection and signed a paréage contract with the seneschal Eustache de Beaumarchès. The new town, built on the hillock of Montaglon on a regular plan centred on the market hall, took the name of Florence in Tuscany. Ceded to Edward I of England in 1287, it owed to him a diversion of the Gers, a mill and brick ramparts. The church of Saint-Laurent, in southern Gothic style, was built from 1280 to 1406. The central arcaded square is dominated by the neoclassical market hall and town hall of 1834-1837, at the four angles of which stand the fountain-statues of the Seasons by Carrier-Belleuse.

Getting there : Free access to the square, to the arcades and to the market hall. Tourist office and market not documented in the texts.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound