Carved into the schism and granite landscapes and set on wide plateaux lies the village of Rieupeyroux, forged by its heritage and legends.

It is at the highest point of the village where the Modulance Chapel sits that a legend was born. A legend that only true inhabitants know about but you'll know soon too : the famous Gargantua myth !

Like Villeneuve-d'Aveyron and Naucelle, Rieupeyroux was first a sauveté (salvita) dating from the Romanesque era. The hamlet developed around a church and a Benedictine monastery founded by the abbey Saint-Martial de Limoges.

With the beginning of the Hundred Years war, Rieupeyroux's sauveté was fortified around a central point : the St Martial church. This monument has an almost octogonal map. The central part of the urban frame is occupied by a market square of modest size and installed on a steep hill. 

The regular plan of the sauveté and the almost central location of its place announce what will become a rule in the bastides of the 13th and 14th century.

Find out more:

Guided tour every Wednesday from 10 to 12 am in July and august

On reservation for groups

Address / Contacts :

Spoken language : FR

SAUVETE DE RIEUPEYROUX
12240 Rieupeyroux

Tel : 05 65 65 51 12
E-mail : mairie-rieupeyroux@orange.fr