Listen to the guide and discover the bastide town of Monfort

The Gers is famous for its excellent gastronomy: from Lomagne garlic to various duck-based recipes, there are countless culinary specialties from the Gers. But, between two delicious meals, take the time to discover its rich heritage and the stories of the different territories that make it special. “Les bastides de Lomagne” is precisely one of those pretty areas that make the authenticity and typicality of the Gers. It brings together several municipalities. Mauvezin, Monfort, and Sarrant are, for example, part of it. If you want to live a unique experience, head to the pretty bastide town of Monfort and hear about the main places and the history of the bastide town, while strolling through the alleys of the village.

Be guided by the voices of the inhabitants of Monfort

Visiting a place with an audioguide is nothing really new. Many museums, castles and other tourist sites now offer this. Except that in Monfort it is the inhabitants themselves who tell you about the history of the village, its particularities and its rich heritage.

To do this, nothing could be simpler: take your smartphone, go to the tourist site of the bastides of Lomagne, choose the audio tracks to listen to and let yourself be guided by the discourse of the Monfortois.

Listen to the tracks until the end. The protagonists offer you puzzles in the form of the game "Truth or Dare". Be attentive and observant and you will easily find the answers!

From alley to alley

Highlights of the audio tour of the bastide town of Monfort

Like all bastides, Monfort benefits from superb architectural and historical assets that make it a place to visit absolutely! The medieval style is still very present there, which gives Monfort an authentic aspect, as if the town spanned the centuries, while retaining its typicality.

Discover Monfort

• The Hall and the arcades

Any self-respecting bastide has a hall at its heart: a place of both commercial and social exchanges for the inhabitants of the town and the surrounding area.

This indeed served as a place of commerce, but also as a place of fairs (two editions a year: at Saint-Barnabé, as well as at Saint-Simon and Jude). Indeed, every Thursday took place the weekly market where producers, farmers, and market gardeners arranged their products on the stalls and met to offer them to the inhabitants of the village.

The hall has retained its medieval soul

The pretty Halle de Monfort, dating from the 13th century, is located in the heart of a square with 24 arcades. It has undergone many restorations since its creation. In the past, it had a floor which housed “the common house”: a kind of communal offices where the “consuls” (the administrators of the bastide) were located.

The arcades are present all around the main square of Monfort

• The half-timbered houses

Who says medieval architecture, necessarily says half-timbered houses, but not only! Beautiful houses built in white stones have also emerged on the main square of the village. At the time, some Monfortois who lived outside the stronghold left the remote and isolated hamlets to move closer to the heart of the bastide. In general, behind the houses were small gardens allowing, for example, to cultivate some fruits and vegetables.

This ends your walk through the landmarks of the bastide town of Monfort. Hoping that this activity, in the heart of the bastides of Lomagne, will have entertained young and old, and that it will have allowed you to go back in time and understand the life of the inhabitants of the bastide during the Middle Ages.

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Article and photos prepared by Charline Prod'Homme for the Guide du Gers