St. Antonin-Noble-Val and Najac

We drove from Bruniquel towards the north east through another “Most Beautiful Village” which is called St. Antonin-Noble-Val. An ancient abbey on which the corner of the town now stands was founded in the 9th century to honor St. Antonin. St. Antonin converted several French areas to Christianity, but when he returned to his home town of Pamiers, he was met with resistance. St. Antonin was beheaded and his remains were tossed into the Ariege River. Legend has it that angles came from heaven and swooped up his corpse. The angles put his body on a boat which floated down several rivers, eventually making its way through the Aveyron Gorges. His relics were gathered up and put in a shrine that is now lost to history. Simon de Montfort took over the town in 1212 during the Albigensian crusade. Later, in the 14th century, the town was conquered by the English. Subsequently, the town was damaged during the Wars of Religion in the late 16th century and finally restored by King Louis XIV. Other than being a location for a movie called “Charlotte Gray” starring Cate Blanchette, the town is just very pretty.  

St. Antonin-Nobel-Val sits directly on the river Aveyron, and bridge crossing brings you into town. The best place to photograph the town is from the bridge or across the river in the park. St. Antonin-Nobel-Val appears to be a quiet town that could have plenty of tourists in peak season. We arrived on a Saturday right before noon, so we were able to get to the tourist office before closing. After a stroll around town, we lunched in the market center. From there we made our way to Najac, another most beautiful village in France.

Najac is a very remote town that used to be famous for its ham. Now it has become a location for many British, Dutch and Northern French to have a second home. The Chateau is the most prominent feature of the town. Historically, the Chateau was built as a fortress. The people in the area were sympathetic to the Cathars. After the Cathars were driven out of the area during the Abligensian Crusade, the villagers were forced at their own expense to build the village church. The town was on the frontier of the Hundred Years War with England and frequently changed hands between the French and the British. Not much else has happened in this town, plus all of the renovation for people with second homes so it remains in great shape. The views are spectacular and it was a great place to end a day of sight seeing.