Thisisit!: Stepping back 2000 years in time.....14th May

Today we visited the tiny medieval village of Capdenac le Haut which is perched high on a rock spur, overlooking the Lot river.

an idylic scene drenched in historic blood

Capdenac is said to have been a Gaulish stronghold Uxellodunum seized by Julius Ceaser 2000 years ago – we had really stepped back in time!

It was a roman military settlement and also an ancient manufacturing centre for copper pots. The village thrived during the Pax Romana an era of peace and prosperity that lasted until the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th C. AD.

The Tower - now Tourist Information and small museum

The central square

Poppies on churchyard wall

The town’s position resulted in regular attacks and changes of hands - the Visigoths, the Franks in the first century AD. The Visigoths renamed the fortress Hac denasci Caput – dead, fallen capital it became Capdenac over the centuries. It was then in the hands of the Saracens (Arabs) during the 7th century. The Knights Templar left significant evidences of their establishment in the fortress and during the 14th century they built a hospital for the pilgrims en route to Rocamadour. The building was destroyed in the 15th century. The ancient fortress suffered in the Hundred Years war. In 1259 Louis IX returned Quercy to the King of England. Capdenac le Haut, alternately was then under French and British occupation during the 116 years of the Hundred Years War.

We also saw inside the St-Jean-Baptiste Church which was heavily damaged during the Wars of Religion. It was rebuilt in the early 18th century but has retained some elements of the old church. Wonderful sense of stepping back in time and a glimpse of two thousand years of history. Just outside the tower is a beautiful medieval sensory garden.