Medieval Bazas in BAZAS - Tourist routes

Distance: 2 km

walk

Duration: 2h

Difficulty : Very easy

BAZAS

Campaigns

Urban

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BAZAS

Bazas is a city admirably fortified by nature and which only needed a few works of art to be impregnable. The Roman presence is an established fact. No one has built a house there without finding rimmed bricks, coins, shards of vases or other objects from this remote period in the foundations. Bazas was therefore characterized as a Gallic oppidum, the famous Cossio, which became the capital of the City of the Vasates in the XNUMXth century. The city was built on a rocky promontory which juts out between two deep valleys. Natural in appearance and triangular in shape, this promontory was narrowed at its base, where a cut had been dug, and protected on both sides by steep slopes, one descending towards the south to the Beuve stream, which flows at the bottom of the valley, and the other north to one of its tributaries.

Your itinerary

Getting to the starting point

Departure - Cathedral Square

You begin this visit with a discovery of the Place de la Cathédrale: Saint Jean Baptiste Cathedral, the Chapter garden to its right, the private mansions around this square, and the Présidial (former Episcopal Palace which now houses the Visitor Center).

Place de la cathédrale

The Cathedral Square is in itself a monument. The eastern part, linked to the Cathedral (2800m²), is of recent development (4600th century). The western part, a sagging trapezium of XNUMXm², dates back to the end of the XNUMXth century, in connection with the merchant suburb of Mercadilh. It has always kept its market role. The "covers" or peripheral arcades were put in place from the XNUMXth century. They match the types of houses they support: in the North and North-East, XNUMXth and XNUMXth century houses; to the south, XNUMXth century buildings; to the west, houses refurbished in the XNUMXth century.

Rue du Mercadilh

Once you have seen the façade of the Présidial, continue to your right down the square via rue du Mercadilh. You will find stairs on your left, leading you to the facade of the old Mercadilh Church.

Alleys Georges Clemenceau

Go back to Place de la Cathédrale, and take the first street on the right: rue Saint Martin. Go down there: at the bottom of this street, turn left into Allées Georges Clémenceau, or Promenade de la Brèche, along the southern ramparts.

Rue Taillade

After watching the video on the Poterne de la Brèche, take the rue Téophile de Servières in the continuity of the Allées Georges Clémenceau, which goes up to the Place de la Cathédrale. Pass in front of the Cathedral, and take the street on the right: Rue Taillade. You will be able to observe various points of interest there: at the end of the rue Taillade is the Capucins district, with its washhouse in particular.

Pontac Street

After rue Taillade, go up rue de Pontac on your right to reach the northern ramparts (on the right, after the Ursuline convent).

Marcel Martin Street

After passing under the Porte du Gisquet (you are on the way to Saint Jacques de Compostela: the Way of Vézelay!), cross the Cours du Maréchal Joffre, then continue straight, down the rue Marcel Martin. At the end of this street, you will find on your right the Apothecary of the Saint Antoine de Bazas Hospital.