What is a Bastide in France?
Definition of bastide 1 : a village or town in medieval France built especially for defense and usually laid out according to a definite geometric plan.
Who built the Bastides?
Between 1260 and 1325, bastides were built on the frontier between Anglo-Aquitaine Périgord [now Dordogne] and the diocese of Agen [the Agenais], stretching from the Pyrenees to the Périgord, Carcassone to Bordeaux. [Agenais was owned by the Count of Toulouse, Alphonse of Poitiers (1220 – 1271), brother of Louis IX.]
Why were the French bastides located in the south of France?
The large number of bastides in the southwest of France were set up in order to establish a more modern society in what was, at the time, a rather wild and inhospitable part of Europe.
What is a Bastide in architecture?
A bastide is larger and more elegant than the farmhouse called a mas, and is square or rectangular, with a tile roof, walls of fine ashlar-stone sometimes covered with stucco or whitewashed, and often built in a square around a courtyard.
What is the most common house in France?
Apartments
Apartments – The Preferred Home Most homes in France, whether in a town or a city, are rented apartments. French streets are embellished with rows of four or five-story buildings with large doors made of wood or metal.
Is a château a castle?
château, in France, during the 13th and 14th centuries, a castle, or structure arranged for defense rather than for residence. Later the term came to designate any seignorial residence and so, generally, a country house of any pretensions.
Where is Monpazier?
Monpazier is a 13th-century bastide town begun in 1285, founded and built by King Edward I of England, who was also Duke of Gascony. It was home to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard II of England for a time (query – Eleanor dead before 1285). Nearby is the Château du Biron and the Dordogne River . The parish church of Monpazier is St.
What makes Monpazier the most beautiful village in France?
Awarded the “ Plus Beaux Villages de France ” label (Most Beautiful Villages in France), the bastide of Monpazier dazzles with its exceptional character; it has remained virtually intact since it was founded in 1284 – in the name of King Edward I of England.
What to do in Monpazier?
During the summer months, Monpazier hosts a number of events of interest to tourists, including a cycle race around the bastide (usually at the start of August), a Medieval day (‘fete medieval’), a Kermesse and several specialist markets. Each July the Chorale of Monpazier gives a concert in the church.
What to do in Bastide?
Acknowledged as the ‘model’ bastide with its perfect orthogonal layout, it would influence the style of some of the greatest architects. Stroll along its narrow streets and alleyways, wander under its arches and explore its Thursday-morning market, on the Place des Cornières that has existed for over 700 years!