Sarlat-la-Canéda

Sarlat-la-Canéda (French: [saʁla la
kaneda] ( listen); Occitan: Sarlat e La
Canedat), commonly known as Sarlat, is a
commune in the southwestern French
department of Dordogne, a part of
Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Sarlat and La Canéda
were distinct towns until merged into one
commune in 1965.[3]
 Sarlat-la-Canéda
Subprefecture and commune

An aerial view of Sarlat-la-Canéda

Coat of arms
Location of Sarlat-la-Canéda

Sarlat-la-
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap

Canéda
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Coordinates: 44°53′34″N 1°12′55″E (https://g
eohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagena
me=Sarlat-la-Can%C3%A9da&params=44.89
28_N_1.2153_E_type:city(8788)_region:FR-N
AQ)

Country France
Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Dordogne
Arrondissement Sarlat-la-Canéda
Canton Sarlat-la-Canéda
Intercommunality Sarlat-Périgord Noir
Government
 • Mayor (2020– Jean-Jacques De
2026) Peretti[1]
Area1 47.13 km2
(18.20 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2020)[2] 8,788
 • Density 190/km2
(480/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Sarladais,
Sarladaises
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 24520 (https://www.
insee.fr/fr/statistiqu
es/1405599?geo=C
OM-24520) /24200
Elevation 102–319 m (335–
1,047 ft)
(avg. 189 m or
620 ft)
Website www.sarlat.fr (http://
www.sarlat.fr)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes
lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi
or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Geography
The town of Sarlat is in a region known in
France as Périgord Noir. It lies in the
southeastern part of the Dordogne
department, 7 km north of the river
Dordogne.

Sarlat railway station offers train services

to Bergerac, Bordeaux and Périgueux.

The commune is also served by Brive

Vallée de la Dordogne airport (50 km),
Bergerac Roumanière airport (70 km) and
two bus lines.[4][5]
History

Place du Peyrou in the old town

Sarlat is a medieval town that developed

around a large Benedictine abbey of
Carolingian origin. The medieval Sarlat
Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Sacerdos.
This abbey appears in records as early as
1081 and was one of the few in the region
that was not raided by the Vikings. The
name for the abbey church was Saint
Sacerdos by 1318; in the 20th century, it
would become a cathedral under Pope
John XXIII.[6]

Because modern history has largely

passed it by, Sarlat has remained
preserved and one of the towns most
representative of 14th-century France. Its
historic centre, with 77 protected
monuments, was added to France's
Tentative List for future nomination as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.[7]
The excellent state of preservation owed a
debt to writer, resistance fighter and
politician André Malraux, who, as Minister
of Culture (1960–1969), restored the town
and many other sites of historic
significance throughout France. The centre
of the old town consists of impeccably
restored stone buildings and is largely car-
free.[8][9]
Population
Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1968 8,801 —    
1975 9,765+1.50%
1982 9,670−0.14%
1990 9,909+0.31%
1999 9,707−0.23%
2007 9,381−0.43%
2012 9,414+0.07%
2017 8,869−1.19%
Source: INSEE[10]
Place du Peyrou

Market in the centre

Town hall of Sarlat

Palais de Justice
Economy

Centre of Sarlat on a summer's day

Agriculture: Agriculture has long been of

importance in the Dordogne area around
Sarlat. Tobacco has been grown around
Sarlat since 1857 and has historically
been a major commodity for the area,
although it is on the wane. Other
agricultural commodities include corn,
hay, walnuts, walnut oil, cheeses, wine,
cèpes (a species of wild mushroom)
and truffles.
Tourism: Numerous visitors—especially
from northern Europe (the United
Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Germany, etc.)—come on holiday to
Sarlat and the region surrounding it and
some have settled there permanently.
The months of July and August are
traditionally the haute saison (high
season) for visitors, as is true in much
of France outside Paris.
Foie gras: There are several large foie
gras factories including Rougié, and
many small producers of foie gras in the
 area;[9] other farms raise geese and
ducks to produce products (confits,
pâté, etc.) from these birds. The
commune holds an annual three day
festival, "Fest'oie", in honour of this
significant part of its economy which
also attracts numerous tourists.[11]

A film festival has been held in the

commune every November since 1991.
Other events include the Truffle Festival,
Christmas Market and Fest’oie in winter,
the Ringueta of traditional games, and the
Theatre Games Festival.[4]
Notable inhabitants

Former home of Étienne de La Boétie

Cimetière Sarlat
Étienne de La Boétie (1530–1563),
judge and humanist poet remembered
as the friend of the Renaissance
philosopher Michel de Montaigne
François Fournier-Sarlovèze (1773-
1827), French general of the Napoleonic
Wars
Gauthier de Costes, seigneur de la
Calprenède (c.1610-1663), novelist and
dramatist
Gabriel Tarde, judge and sociologist
(1843–1904)
André Malraux (1901-1976), a square
and a gallery of paintings bear the name
of the former Minister of Culture. This is
explained by the fact that he is
considered by many Sarladais as the
saviour of the historical district of the
city. While visiting Sarlat, he realised
that the city was in danger of ruins in
certain neighbourhoods and that some
monuments were being destroyed. The
Saved Areas Act was drafted to save the
city.
Jacques Géry (1917–2007),
ichthyologist, died in Sarlat
Jean Nouvel (born 1945), architect,
spent his childhood in Sarlat and
transformed the ancient church of
 Sainte Marie into a covered market with
monumental doors.
Jean-Jacques de Peretti (born 1946),
mayor of the city since 1989.

Cultural references
The town and region have featured in two
major Hollywood films: Ridley Scott's The
Duellists (1978), based on Joseph
Conrad's Napoleonic tale; and more
recently Timeline (2003), adapted from
Michael Crichton's time-travel novel, and
set in 14th-century France.

In the cemetery of Sarlat one can admire

the pyramid tomb of François Fournier-
Sarlovèze, who inspired the story behind
The Duellists.

Other movies partly shot in Sarlat include:

Ever After: a Cinderella Story (1998) by

Andy Tennant
The Musketeer (2001) by Peter Hyams
Jacquou le Croquant (2007) by Laurent
Boutonnat
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
(1999) by Luc Besson

The city also appears in the first

instalments of French author Robert
Merle's saga Fortune de France, which tells
the story of a fictitious Huguenot, Pierre de
Siorac, during the 16th and 17th centuries
in France.

See also
Communes of the Dordogne
département

References
1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (h
ttps://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876
a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503) (in
French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte
des données publiques françaises. 13
September 2022.
2. "Populations légales 2020" (https://www.in
see.fr/fr/statistiques/6676182?geo=COM-2
4520) . The National Institute of Statistics
and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
3. Commune de Sarlat-la-Canéda (24520) (htt
ps://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/cog/co
mmune/COM24520-sarlat-la-caneda) ,
INSEE
4. Visit Sarlat la Canéda (https://us.france.fr/e
n/bordeaux/article/sarlat-caneda)
5. Fodor's Dordogne & the Best of Southwest
France: with Paris (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=GGljQ8KHWpwC&dq=sarlat+fr
ance+airport+bus+lines&pg=PT82)
6. Sarlat History (https://frenchmoments.eu/s
arlat-history/)
 7. Centre ancien de Sarlat (https://whc.unesc
o.org/en/tentativelists/1667/)
8. SARLAT-LA-CANÉDA DEPARTMENT:
DORDOGNE REGION NOUVELLE-
AQUITAINE (https://www.france-travel-guid
e.net/Sarlat.html)
9. Contested Tastes: Foie Gras and the
Politics of Food page 91 (https://books.goo
gle.com/books?id=E3SYDwAAQBAJ&dq=sa
rlat+la+caneda+agriculture%2C+tourism+fo
i+gras&pg=PA91)
10. Population en historique depuis 1968 (http
s://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?g
eo=COM-24520#ancre-POP_T1) , INSEE
 11. Foie Gras Behind the Scenes of a French
Delicacy (https://www.visit-dordogne-valley.
co.uk/french-living/food-specialities/foie-gr
as)

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related
to Sarlat-la-Canéda.
Official site (http://www.sarlat.fr)

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarlat-
la-Canéda&oldid=1162204529"

This page was last edited on 27 June 2023, at

16:53 (UTC). •
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