La Sauvetat-du-Dropt is a small village on the edge of the Dropt which keeps many architectural elements of its past and was, from the sixth century, the seat of a priory.
The Sauvetat takes its name from the Latin "salvitatem" which means saving, saving, saving. It was the name given to all cities of refuge which enjoyed a guarantee of non-aggression granted by the local lord. The Sauvetat was under the sovereignty of the Abbots Priors who were its lords and who, because of the perpetual state of violence, surrounded it with strong walls. Towards the end of the 11th century, under feudalism and during the establishment of the Grand Fiefs, it was part of the domain of the lords of Caumont. Nompar de Caumont, first of the name, was the suzerain in 1211.
In 1211, it was called, moreover, La Sauvetat-de-Caumont. In 1789 she took the name of Sauvetat-du-Drot; then finally in 1910 its current name of La Sauvetat-du-Dropt.
The Sauvetat saw the birth in 1619 of Jean Claude, son of the pastor of the Reformed Church of La Sauvetat, who had become a pastor himself in 1645. Disciple of Calvin, he was perceived as one of the greatest men of his time because of his theological authority. Forced into exile following the dismissal of the Edict of Nantes (1685), he found refuge in The Hague near the Court of the Prince of Orange where he died on January 13, 1687, at the age of 68 years.
The Crusader Revolt of 1637: the last years of the reign of Louis XIII are marked by anti-tax revolts, the most famous of which is that of Croquants (scornful nickname given to peasants). Exasperated by the creation of new taxes and the presence of troops in the countryside, to which an order forced to provide rations of wheat, part of the population of Périgord rises April 22, 1637. Led by a gentleman, La Mothe-La -Forest, the insurgents attack the tax collectors and form an army of more than 8000 men who go to Bergerac. The rebellion is spreading. More than 2000 Croquants take refuge under the walls of the city under the leadership of the Lord of Madaillan. No less than 3,000 men of the royal army led by the Duke of Valletta are forced to abandon the surveillance of the Spanish border to come and put down the uprising at La Sauvetat. Summoned by 3 times to surrender and ignoring this summons, the fight commences June 1, 1637. The attack is vigorously conducted but the defense is obstinate. The troops eventually end the revolt, invade the city and burn it entirely. Madaillan fled in first. More than 1600 crunchers will be killed, only 40 were taken prisoner. The Sauvetat du Dropt had just disappeared forever. It is from this time that dates its decline!
The town also saw the birth of the General, Jacques Delmas de Grammont (1796-1862), who, in 1850, passed the first law punishing mistreatment of domestic animals.
Among the jewels of heritage to visit, the Romanesque bridge, classified as an historic monument. 11 Romanesque arches dating from the 12th century and lords of Caumont fortifying the city and surround it with a ditch connected to the river. In the thirteenth century, the floods of the river, frequent, gradually transform the Dropt bed and require the construction of a second bridge of 12 arches but Gothic style. In the Middle Ages, the cross served as a landmark for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. In the eighteenth century, the bridge lost an arch in favor of a lock to make Dropt navigable through Lakanal (MP Convention). The Dropt will only be navigable from 1858 to 1884 due to the development of road and rail transport. In 2016, during renovation work, a new arch is updated until hidden by heaps of earth and plants. No writing mentions it and the oldest of the village have never seen it. The shape of his bow oscillates between Romanesque and Gothic. It carries the number of arches to 23 currently visible.
Its church, one of the largest in the department of Lot-et-Garonne with its original Romanesque choir and beautiful stained glass windows. Its timber-framed houses, a Renaissance house adjoining the Templar tower and many traces of its past splendor that you will discover while wandering through its streets like mullioned windows, Romanesque doors, vestiges of the surrounding wall...
At the beginning of the village, there is a pedestrian trail of 9.3 km titled "Roman Bridge Walk" and an ATV circuit. A motorhome area is available all year round at the entrance to the village. It is free, without service (but with WiFi, toilets and water point) and has 4 locations between bridge nine and Romanesque bridge, close to shops in the village that are a multiservice grocery store, a postal agency, a bakery, a bar-restaurant and a hairdresser. Library open every Wednesday afternoon.
Numerous events throughout the year including the Fridays evenings of the summer Fridays (July and August) much appreciated by both tourists and locals.
