The accredited heritage department
A team and an accreditation label serving the local area
An accredited local area: the Grand Auch Cœur de Gascogne intermunicipal community
Since 2011, the Grand Auch Cœur de Gascogne intermunicipal community has been part of the France-wide network of towns and local areas accredited with the “Villes et Pays d’art et d’histoire” label for heritage. This accreditation label, awarded by France’s culture ministry, underlines the commitment of certain local areas to preserving and showcasing their heritage.
In Auch and in 33 towns around the city, we tell the story of this local area in a creative way that is brought to life!
Our purpose is to assist you in your discovery of our local area.
Throughout the year, our service for teaching about local heritage and architecture offers a rich and varied programme of events for all categories of the general public, including families, school groups, individual visitors and local inhabitants. Embark on an adventure to discover local gems of history, architecture and the environment through:
- traditional or innovative guided tours;
- fun and creative workshops;
- interactive investigations and treasure hunts;
- fascinating conferences;
- easy-to-understand heritage signposts;
- innovative digital applications;
- giant shows during the day or at night;
- exhibitions and publications about heritage.
In the Grand Auch Cœur de Gascogne intermunicipal community, each stone, each alleyway and each landscape tells a story.
Built heritage that is rich and varied
The local area has preserved many gems of historical architecture:
Remnants of antiquity:
- Gallo-Roman dwellings in Auch,
- Roquelaure,
- Saint-Jean-Poutge
- and Preignan.
- Gallo-Roman funerary monuments dotted around the local area, for example in Saint-Lary, Biran and Ordan-Larroque.
Remnants of the Middle Ages:
- Church-protected sauveté towns: Pessan.
- Castle-dependent castelnau towns: Montaut-les-Créneaux.
- Fortified grid-plan bastide towns: Pavie, etc.
- Medieval new towns: Jegun, Puycasquier, etc.
- Moats, enclosing walls like in Sainte-Christie, chateaux, gateways and gate towers are parts of defensive fortifications that can still be seen in some towns.
Townhouses and dwellings:
- There are half-timbered medieval homes and, in Auch, 18th-century townhouses too. In the countryside, you can see grand upper-middle-class country homes that emerged in the 18thand 19th centuries, such as the chartreuse country house in Lahitte and the Château du Rieutort in Roquelaure.
Fragments of heritage and architecture:
- The Caserne Espagne and Caserne Lannes barracks in Auch are tokens of local military heritage.
- Municipal architecture includes town halls, schools, bathhouses, Auch city hall and Auch law court. Transport routes, including bridges, railways and the River Baïse, link villages to one another.
- Religious architecture includes Auch Cathedral and many churches and convents in the city and surrounding area, as well as crosses and monuments devoted to the Virgin Mary.
- Commercial and industrial heritage includes watermills, windmills, market halls and shopfronts, which bear witness to the area’s economic past.
- Modern heritage in Auch includes the Le Garros district, Sainte-Bernadette church, the Gers departmental council building, the CIRC circus centre, the Ciné 32 cinema and Lissagaray nursery school, underlining the continuation of architectural creation in the 21st century.
Natural and living heritage
Beyond the stonework of its built heritage, the Grand Auch Cœur de Gascogne intermunicipal community also includes:
- Cultivated landscapes punctuated with ponds, woods, hedges and paths
- A rich natural environment with varied flora and preserved fauna
- A strong local culture, including the Gascon language, traditional music and dance, and old games
- Renowned cuisine, including foie gras, Armagnac brandy and Gascon wines
- A spiritual heritage with routes on the Camino de Santiago pilgrims’ way
Photo gallery
