Randonnée de Montréal en terre romaine

Walk : easy MB : quite easy Riding : impossible Ski : impossible Handicapped : difficult

Patrimony : Antiquity Patrimony : Middle Ages

	Randonnée de Montréal en terre romaine
Office de Toursime de Montréal-du-Gers - http://www.citaenet.com/montreal/ - contact: otsi.montrealdugers@wanadoo.fr

A hike in the region Midi-Pyrénées

A walk to travel in the past! Stroll in Montréal, a Gascon bastide classified as one the Most Beautiful Villages in France. Imagine yourself living during the XIIIth century, on the central place of this village, or in front of the Gothic church. Visit the Gallo-Roman villa in Séviac. In this place, you can discover the farm-house estate of a Roman nobleman who lived there in the IVth century. The villa was equipped with luxurious thermes, and decorated with a great deal of mosaics. Walk on the way of Saint James of Compostela, as you were a pilgrim from the Middle Age. Finally, you can enjoy the landscape of a preserved country, with its vineyards producing the oldest brandy in France: Armagnac.

1- From the central place of the village (place de la mairie), take the street "rue du commandant Parisot". Go up to the end of the street, and go down a large stairs. Then, cross a bridge.
2- Turn to the left after the bridge to get back the road D29. Walk 50 meters on this road. At the first crossroads, turn to the right. At the next one, go again to the right. Continue on the road up to the next crossing. You will see a roadsign indicating the Gallo-Roman villa of Séviac.
3- Turn to the right, and continue straight ahead up to the Gallo-Roman villa.
4- When you arrive at the crossing after the first houses, turn to the left. Pass the hamlet, and reach a road. Turn to the right on this road, and go to the next crossing.
5- Turn to the left, and continue straight ahead. Cross the road D29, then the river Auzoue.
6- Take the left track after the river. Continue on this path (way of Saint James of Compostela - GR65) up to a pond.
7- Before the pond, take the road on your right. Walk past an former fortified house, and continue up to reach a road. Turn to the left.
8- Continue on this road. At the next two crossings, turn to the left. You can see on the left side a former fortified house and the Preromanesque church of Genens.
9- Stay on this road and pass the vineyards (after the locality of La Moulie). Walk past a copse on the right side, and a vineyard on the left side. Continue straight ahead.
10- Cross the road D15 and take the path opposite which goes to the left. Turn to the right in the street "rue des écoles", then to the left. Walk past the Gothic church on the left. You are getting back the central place of the village.

Information

General points

Geographic situation. District : Montréal (department Gers)
Road map with
Starting point : Central place in Montréal.
The length of the stroll is estimated at 10 Km and the walk duration is about 3 h .
The stroll is marked out all along
Stroll form : loop
Stroll relief : hilly (alt. mini = 80 m ; alt. maxi = 145 m)
Maintenance : frequent (brushwood clearing at least annual)
Exposure : open (a sun protection might be foreseen)

Events and information

Worth seeing. The Gallo-Roman villa of Séviac is open to visits from March till November. For your information, contact the Tourist Office, at 05 62 29 42 85.

Noteworthy places

Montréal. The village of Montréal is a XIIIth century Gascon bastide, which presents a central place with arches.

Séviac. The Gallo-Roman villa of Séviac corresponds to a former farm-house estate which covers more than 500 m2. This site is famous because of the mosaics which are numerous and very well conserved (particularly vine leaf figures). There were many rooms, and a special attention was paid to thermal baths, which were warmed by a subterranean boiler system, still visible today.

Eglise Saint-Philippe et Saint-Jacques. This Gothic church goes back to the XIIIth century.

Eglise de Génens . The Preromanesque chapel of Génens was built upon a former Roman villa.

Maps

IGN 1741 E, Carto Exploreur 32 Ouest.

Bibliography

Le Pays d'Armagnac à pied. (2005 - Coll. Les pays de France à pied. Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre) : 96 p.

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Randonnée de Montréal en terre romaine
(code number : MONTREA01N)