Its borders continued to change over subsequent decades. It was created from the former province of Périgord, the county of Périgord. A special mention should be made in this respect to Sarlat and its Black Périgord area.ĭordogne is one of the original 83 departments created on 4 March 1790 during the French Revolution. A number of small towns, such as Brantôme, Issigeac, Eymet and Mareuil, have withstood the changes of modern times.

The old quarters of Périgueux or Bergerac have been restored and developed into pedestrian areas. Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, Connezac, Saint-Jean-de-Côle, La Roque-Gageac, and many others contain important and visually interesting architectural examples. In addition to its castles, chateaux, churches, bastides, and cave fortresses, the Périgord region has preserved since centuries past a number of villages that still have their market halls, dovecotes, bories (stone huts), churches, abbeys, and castles. Following these wars, Périgord, fief of Henry of Navarre, was to return to the Crown for good and would continue to suffer from the sudden political changes of the French nation, from the Revolution to the tragic hours of the Resistance.Īssociated with the region are several important literary figures: Arnaut Daniel, Bertran de Born, Michel de Montaigne, Étienne de La Boétie, Brantôme, Fenelon, Maine de Biran, Eugene Le Roy, and André Maurois as well as Talleyrand, Saint-Exupéry and Biron. At the time, Bergerac was one of the most powerful Huguenot strongholds, along with La Rochelle. In the second half of the 16th century, however, war was waged in the area, as the attacks, pillaging, and fires of the Wars of Religion reached a rare degree of violence in Périgord. In the countryside, the nobility erected the majority of the more than 1200 chateaux, manors and country houses. The finest Gothic and Renaissance residences were built in Périgueux, Bergerac, and Sarlat. The county had been torn apart and, as a consequence, that modeled its physiognomy.ĭuring the calmer periods of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Castillon plain on the banks of the Dordogne saw a development in urban architecture. Being situated at the boundaries of influence of the monarchies of France and England, it oscillated between the two dynasties for more than three hundred years of struggle until the end of the Hundred Years' War in 1453. According to Julius Caesar, the Gauls took refuge in these caves during the resistance.Īfter Guienne province was transferred to the English Crown under the Plantagenets following the remarriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, Périgord passed by right to English suzerainty. These subterranean refuges and lookout huts were large enough to shelter entire local populations. The earliest cluzeaux (artificial caves either above or below ground) can be found throughout the Dordogne. Concentrated in a few major sites are the vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period – the gigantic ruined tower and arenas in Périgueux (formerly Vesone), the Périgord museum's archaeological collections, villa remains in Montcaret, and the Roman tower of La Rigale Castle in Villetoureix. The Petrocores took part in the resistance against Rome. The river Dordogne near Castelnaud-la-Chapelle The 'Périgord Noir' (Black Périgord) surrounding the administrative center of Sarlat, overlooks the valleys of the Vézère and the Dordogne, where the woods of oak and pine give it its name.The 'Périgord Pourpre' (Purple Périgord) with its capital of Bergerac, is a wine region.The 'Périgord Blanc' (White Périgord), situated around the department's capital of Périgueux, is a region of limestone plateaux, wide valleys, and meadows.The 'Périgord Vert' (Green Périgord), with its main town of Nontron, consists of verdant valleys in a region crossed by many rivers and streams.There are four Périgords in the Dordogne. The area eventually became known as the county of Le Périgord and its inhabitants became known as the Périgordins (or Périgourdins). The name for 'four tribes' in the Gaulish language was 'Petrocore'. The county of Périgord dates back to when the area was inhabited by the Gauls. ( May 2013) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification.

Dordogne river surfing