Lanterne des morts de Sarlat (tour Saint-Bernard)

Sarlat-la-Canéda

Standing in the former cemetery of Saint-Benoît, just behind the east end of the cathedral of Saint-Sacerdos already featured in the app, this 12th-century circular tower remains one of the most enigmatic monuments in France: no one knows for certain what it was for. Canon Jean Tarde reports in his Chronique the legend according to which Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, visiting Sarlat in 1147, blessed there loaves with miraculous powers that healed the sick who ate them — hence its other name of "tour Saint-Bernard". By the 17th century, the memory of its real use had already been lost: in 1693, Canon de Gérard wrote of the monument "On ne sait ce que c'est" ("No one knows what it is"). A later hypothesis sees in it an architectural evocation of the dome of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Irony of history: for want of a more solid argument to justify its listing in 1862, it was the legend of Saint Bernard itself that was invoked before the heritage authorities.

Getting there : Free access to the exterior, Jardin des Enfeus

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

Ambient sound