Val de Louyre et Caudeau is a village in the Dordogne, in the Aquitaine region, 30 km south of Périgueux.
The town was officially created on January 1, 2017 following the merger of Cendrieux (586 inhabitants), Sainte-Alvère (847 inhabitants) and Saint-Laurent-des-Bâtons (212 inhabitants), the last two communes having already merged a year before. Val de Louyre et Caudeau has about 1,650 inhabitants.
Its vast territory of 82 km² is ideally positioned in the center of the Périgueux-Bergerac-Sarlat triangle, in the Périgord blanc and on the borders of the Périgord Noir.
If the history was sometimes agitated (Hundred Years War, Wars of Religion, Revolution) and if the rural exodus strongly impacted the old villages, Val de Louyre et Caudeau has preserved a historic heritage of quality and hearts of picturesque and authentic boroughs. The environment consists of landscapes in the form of limestone plateaus, valleys (several rivers have their source), wood and crops and typical production areas (strawberries, truffles, duck farms) makes the locality a very popular destination. appreciated. Green, cultural and gourmet tourism is logically developed.
The originality of the village of Cendrieux lies in the circular design of beautiful mansions, all converging on their fortified church of the twelfth century Romanesque style, listed as a Historic Monument. The shape of its tower steeple, square and crenellated, represents a unique set in Périgord. Three streams have their source: the Louyre, Caudeau and Vern.
The new municipality has a built heritage of the first order.
On Saint-Laurent-des-Bâtons, the castle of Saint-Maurice is an old strong house of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. If the ramparts, the moats and the drawbridge disappeared, the building was the subject of a very effective restoration campaign from the 1960s. Now classified, it is open to visit only during the Heritage Days, in September.
Adjoining this private property is the old castle chapel, restored and remodeled in the 16th century. To see also, the church Saint-Laurent, in the same borough, which was built in the nineteenth.
On Sainte-Alvère, with a first fortified enclosure from the eleventh century, it is the remains of the castle of the thirteenth which testify to the power of this old seigniory. Restored in the 18th century, the castle was destroyed during the Revolution. It remains a high circular tower of the thirteenth, and the original enclosure, some elements.
We can continue to visit the church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, built in the eighteenth century on the foundations of a church of the twelfth. It was restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. A few steps, in front of the eastern facade of the church, you will notice a large cross of the eighteenth. The ironwork elements evoke the nails and crown of thorns of Christ and the stone base has moldings and elements recalling the Louis XV style.
Always on the old town of Sainte-Alvère, a walk is essential to the marsh of Petit Mas, an area of fifteen hectares classified for its ecological interest on the edge of the village of Veyrines-de-Vergt. Crossed by the course of Caudeau, the site is popular with migratory birds (ducks, waders), otters and mink.
Finally, a visit to the new town can be concluded by the picturesque village of Cendrieux, whose circular homes converge on the church of St. John the Baptist. Dating from the twelfth century for its oldest parts, rebuilt in the sixteenth and nineteenth, the fortified building evokes a keep, because of its square and crenellated steeple, unique in the region. The interior is in the Romanesque style, with a choir of square plan surmounted by a dome. The old elements of the church were elevated and enshrined in the 16th century reinforcing the monumental aspect of the whole.
See also, the castle of Pommerie, built in the late eighteenth century and refurbished in the nineteenth for its north facade. Classified, it was bought in 1949 by Princess Marie-Clotilde Napoleon, daughter of Prince Victor Napoleon and married to the Earl of Witt. Half a century later, their son, Count Baudoin de Witt and his wife Isabelle decided to open the estate to the public to present a rich collection remained in the family until then, objects, paintings, sculptures tracing the history of Napoleon I and the Bonaparte family. The set consists of more than 600 pieces of which 158 are classified. This museum Napoleon will interest young and old, and the visits include projections and playful spaces. Guided tours only in April, May and June on Sundays at 3 pm (and Thursdays at 3 pm during school holidays), every day at 3 pm from July 1st to 15th, every day at 11 am, 3 pm and 5 pm from July 16th to the 31st. August and every day at 15h except Saturday from 1 to 15 September. All year round by reservation for groups. Price: 5.50 and 7 euros. Information on +33 5 53 03 24 03.
In the surrounding countryside, around Cendrieux, see also the spectacular strawberry fields and the sources of the Louyre, Caudeau and Vern.
For guided tours of villages, but also information on hiking, mountain biking or horseback riding including all or part of the new town of Val de Louyre et Caudeau, contact +33 5 53 53 10 63.
Path of the memory: reconstitution of the maquis of Durestal where André Malraux made a stay.
In mid-May, the even years, feast of sticks in Saint-Laurent-des-Bâtons in the spring of the Bastides. Fun and historical activities, concerts, exhibitions of crafts are included in the program.
From late May to mid-June, in Cendrieux, amateur theater festival.
The first weekend of August, communal festival of Sainte-Alvere, with fun and musical entertainment.
The third weekend of August, in Sainte-Alvère, book fair.
The first weekend of September, patronal feast in Cendrieux, with fairground attractions and concerts.
Finally, on a completely different level, every Monday from December to the end of February, the truffle market in Sainte-Alvère attracts a large audience. Opening at 10am. The opportunity to discover this treasure of gastronomy and to attend a singular ritual when the transactions begin... Information +33 5 53 73 55 85.
Concours de Poésie Libre
- From 22 march to 3 may 2024
- As part of the Spring celebrations organized by the association Culture & Loisirs Alvèrois in partnership with the commune, take part in the free poetry contest. - From Friday March 22 to Friday May 3 at 12 noon. - Theme : "I live in the country". - Free competition, reserved for residents of Val de Louyre and Caudeau and schoolchildren aged 7 and over. - Rules, entry form and parental authorisation to download. Or pick up at the Mairies of the 3 villages during opening hours. - Poems must be sent in or handed in at the Mairies before 12 noon on Friday May 3,2024.
A la Découverte des Bushmen Ju'/Hoansi
- On 26 april 2024
- Espace culturel André Malraux
- Screening Friday April 26 at 8pm at Espace Culturel André Malraux in Cendrieux. - Bushmanland : - Cave art & tongue clipping, ancestral dances & songs, antelopes & elephants, breathtaking landscapes… - Discover the ancient culture of the Ju'/Hoansi Bushmen in their fabulous Namibia, through the video report of Francis Collie's trip. His association Je Suis La Piste is planning to bring them to the Dordogne in 2025, and all proceeds from the screening will go towards preparing their trip. - Price : 5 €.
Châteaux en Fête - Musée Napoléon de la Pommerie
- On 27 april 2024
- Lieu-dit La Pommerie
- Visit with costumed welcome, aperitif and period dances - April 27th at 3pm - Vivez au temps de l ? Empire" event : visitors are welcomed by a platoon of the 16th Léger in uniform, taken on a tour of the museum, followed by a friendly drink with the Danses d ? Antan group, who will demonstrate the dances of the Empire, with an initiation for those who wish. - 15 ? - Reservations essential on 05 53 03 24 03 or by e-mail info@musee-napoleon.fr
Exposition Peindre et Dépeindre la mer et les Cieux
- From 27 april to 11 may 2024
- Halle du Marché aux Truffes, Place du Marché aux truffes
- Exhibition as part of the Spring celebrations organized by the Association Culture & Loisirs Alvèrois in partnership with the commune. - From Saturday April 27 to Saturday May 11, open from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 5:30pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 10:30am to 12:30pm on Sundays. - A shared passion for the blue shades of the sea and sky. - An exhibition of paintings by Claudine F. Cadix mirrored by poems inspired by them by Annick Dantzer.
Cani Marche
- On 28 april 2024
- Salle de convivialité
- The Comité des Fêtes de Saint Laurent des Bâtons is organizing a cani marche on Sunday April 28 at 9am. - Walk around the village, about 8 km. - Meet in front of the salle de convivialité. - Leash and vaccinations compulsory. - Registration required.
Agora - Pôle National Cirque : A la Nouvelle-Orléans / D. L'Homond, M. Herblin, G. Wilmot
- On 2 may 2024
- Espace culturel André Malraux
- [tale-jazz] - Thursday May 2,2024 at 8pm at Espace Culturel André Malraux in Cendrieux. - Daniel L ? Homond, poet and storyteller from Périgord, handles the French language with humor and mischief. - Nourished by his travels, his creative talent fashions bits of stories of our time, at once astonishing and whimsical, experimental and marvelous. - À la Nouvelle-Orle ? Ans is a blend of storytelling and jazz, a tasty musical cocktail of blues tinged with piano with Guillaume Wilmot and harmonicas with Michel Herblin. - From Mississippi to Rue Bourbon, intrigue comes to life. Music shapes history as history shapes music. And when it rains in New Orleans, the night suns are said to spit rainbows… This laboratory of recounted life bubbles over with generosity. An enchantment for the ear ? Simply listen.
Metropolitan Opéra Live : Madame Butterfly
- On 11 may 2024
- Espace Culturel André Malraux
- Saturday, May 11,2024, at 6:30 pm, at the Espace Culturel André Malraux in Cendrieux, live broadcast of Puccini's madame butterfly from the Metropolitan Opera. - Soprano extraordinaire Asmik Grigorian tackles the demanding role of Cio-Cio-San, the royal geisha at the heart of Puccini's devastating tragedy. Tenor Jonathan Tetelman plays the insensitive U.S. naval officer Pinkerton, whose betrayal destroys her. - For the 2023-2024 season, the Confluence des Arts et des Savoirs association is offering the Metropolitan Opera's nine selections as part of the HD-Live 2023-2024 broadcasts, plus six additional operas, with the quality of the MET's live broadcasts. - Tickets : 17 € / Assiette garnie : 8 € - By reservation
Agora - Pôle National Cirque : Y'a pas d'âge / Compagnie Il fut un Temps
- On 19 may 2024
- Saint Laurent des Bâtons
- [puppets on stilts] - Puppets of a new kind take the form of characters : stiltwalkers perched high on their fragile shoulders. Four characters animate the streets with their antics. - The puppets and their two balancing companions will transport us into a universe alternating between sarcasm, humor, sensitivity and poetry. A family-friendly escapade under the banner of circus and street arts.
Fête des Bâtons 8ème Édition
- On 19 may 2024
- Saint-Laurent des Bâtons
- 8th edition of the Fête des bâtons in Saint Laurent des Bâtons on Sunday, May 19,2024. - A crazy day around the baton from 10am to midnight, with the Landes department in the spotlight. - SHOWS : - puppets on stilt-walkers - all audiences - AGORA collaboration - Lous Tchancayres : stilt-walkers from the Landes, musicians, dancers - Object theater, Volpinex company - Concert and dance - Pipit Farlouse group - Craftsmen/artists : sculptors (totem poles, driftwood, knives, canes), basket makers, furniture designers, clockmakers, cougourdonnière, insect hotels, wood turners, trunk makers… - ANIMATIONS : introduction to gemmaking, stilt race, Landes bowling, sawing workshop, forest walk, tracking - Abeille Périgordine educational exhibition and photos of remarkable trees - Book table and tribute to Bernard Manciet - SPORTS : hiking at the end of the day - Local producers.
Metropolitan Opéra Live : Eugène Onegin
- On 25 may 2024
- Espace Culturel André Malraux
- Saturday May 25,2024, at 6:30pm, at the André Malraux Cultural Center in Cendrieux, Tchaikovsky's eugene onegin will be broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera. - For the 2023-2024 season, the Confluence des Arts et des Savoirs association is offering the Metropolitan Opera's nine selections as part of the HD-Live 2023-2024 broadcasts, plus six additional operas, with the quality of the MET's live broadcasts. - Tickets : 17 € / Assiette garnie : 8 € - By reservation