Capendac is a medieval fortress and a survivor of centuries of war, surrounded by spectacular views of the Lot River valley.

One of the local tourism sites calls it “a slender village on a meander of the Lot”, but as I walk through the Roman and medieval sites of Capendac-la-Haut other words come to mind: “steep”, “ancient”, “calm”, and…did I mention “steep”?   But no matter which adjectives you apply, they all connect somehow to the 30 criteria required to join the elite association of “The Most Beautiful Villages in France” – that’s why this little town was accepted as a member in 2010.

That association was organized by the mayor of the first “most beautiful village” – Collonges-la-Rouge.  Its mission is to introduce tourists to French towns that are charming, historically significant, and worth seeking out even though they are often far from the usual routes visitors follow in their travels around the country.  They are explicitly NOT looking for villages that are “pretty” without having evidence of a "soul", and they don’t want to see villages turned into historical theme parks.  To get in, a town must meet all 30 requirements related to historical significance and architectural interest, and it must commit to investing in infrastructure for tourists and support for the association’s marketing programs.  All that rigor apparently has the desired effect; one estimate says a village can expect 30-40% more visitors if it earns the label.

People in Capendac sometimes add “la-Haut” (“the high”) to the town’s name because of its situation on a plateau almost 1,000 feet above the Lot River that surrounds it.  It’s technically part of the larger agglomeration of Figeac, an exceptional medieval town only 4 kilometers away that makes a great base for exploring this part of France.

There have been people here for at least 5,000 years; archeologists have discovered pottery fragments and evidence of grape cultivation dating to the Bronze Age.  A little more recently, when Roman legions bulldozed their path across Gaul, people here had already constructed an oppidum – Julius Caesar’s word for the big, fortified towns his army encountered as he fought his way across the country.

Signs in Capendac still tell the exciting story of Caesar’s arrival here in 51 B.C.E.  They call the town by a tongue-twisting Roman name: Uxellodunum, and they quote one of Caesar’s chronicles:

“…after the fall of Alesia and the defeat of Vercingetorix, two Gaulios chieftains united to continue the resistance against the Romans.  Pressed by the legions of Julius Caesar, they closed themselves up with 2,000 combatants in a fortified place [Uxellodunum] where for several months they resisted the assault by 30,000 soldiers commanded by the General himself.”

Just one small problem with that story: since 1997 archeologists have been excavating the area around Puy d’Issoud (over an hour northwest of here), and in 2001 they published their “official” announcement that it is the real site of the oppidum attacked by the Roman army.  Capendac has not given up, though.  I’ll let that same sign speak for the position of local historians:

“With the help of solid geographic, scriptural, and archeological documents, the Association for the Archeology and Heritage of Uxellodunum-Capendac ardently defends that this battle, the final act of Gaulois resistance, did take place on the site of Capendac.”

Aside from the fact that the Association’s title must really fill up the space on a business card, it made me happy to find such a lively debate still in progress over 2,000 years after the events it concerns!

There’s no doubt, though, that the town was conceived and built as a fortress.  No doubt, either, that the Romans were here at some point.  One of Capendac’s most important places to visit is called “the English Fountain” but it really is a water source that was engineered by Roman soldiers around the same time that Caesar came through the area.  Guarded from attacks by a thick stone wall, it’s called the “English” fountain because it was a critical resource for the village when it was besieged again by English forces during the Hundred Years’ War.  I was surprised to learn that the fountain was “lost” at some point during the 19^th century, and only rediscovered and reopened in 1981 by a local group of volunteers.

Be ready to put in some significant effort if you want to see the underground source.  You must buy a token from the Office of Tourism, where you’ll see the first warning sign: “Attention: Access may be difficult”.  You have to walk down 120 perilously narrow stone steps to get to the little cave where the Romans corralled the water – and, as Karen always reminds me, if you walk DOWN 120 steps you must then walk UP that far to get back into town.  My heart was pounding and my head was sweating at the end of the climb, even on a cool spring day, but I was happy I’d made the trip.

• As you walk through the village you’ll see several fine medieval houses. You can download a guided tour map in English to help identify the Maison des Gardes (a further demonstration of Capendac’s status as a fortress town) and the Place du Consulat, a reminder of the 4 “consuls” elected to govern the village in medieval times.

• The Eglise Saint Jean Baptiste is a simple church with an exceptional historical pedigree: Its foundation dates to the 9^th century, and it survived numerous military assaults before it was rebuilt in Romanesque style during the Middle Ages, the “Golden Age of Capendac”.  It burned down again (twice!) during France’s Wars of Religion, and the current building was mostly built during the early 1700s.

• Behind the church you’ll find a pleasant (and fragrant) little “Medieval Garden dedicated to our 5 senses”. The signs compare it somewhat grandiosely to the Garden of Eden, but if you’re not bothered by the hyperbole, it is a quiet place where you can enjoy the flowers and the calm of a small French village.

• The Donjon de Capendac is also quite simple, a square defensive tower next to the church.  Three stories tall, it was likely built by the Counts of Armagnac sometime during the 1200s C.E.

It was never meant to be a residence – it’s there because of the unrelenting wars that rolled through this part of France from the Roman conquest to the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars, the Hundred Years’ War, and the Wars of Religion. Today it contains a small museum devoted to the village’s history.  And if you’re up for another climb of 60+ narrow stone steps to the top of the tower, you’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view of the entire village and spectacular views of the Lot River and the surrounding countryside.

If you find yourself in the Lot, especially if you’re spending time in nearby Figeac, I recommend that you make the easy day trip to visit Capendac.  The town is an unusual testament to how people in this part of France resisted and survived century after century of brutal conflict.  Its medieval gates and fortress walls are impressive reminders of that history, but its quiet streets and spectacular views over the Lot River valley are also reminders of why this is officially one of France’s “most beautiful villages”.

Have you visited any of France’s other “fortress towns”?  Or any of the places associated with Caesar’s conquest of Gaul? What impressed you most? What did you find interesting there?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below, and while you’re here, please take a moment to share this post with someone else who is interested in the people, places, culture, and history of the deep heart of France!

Unless otherwise noted, all photos in this post are copyright © 2025 by Richard Alexander