Auvillar. Plus Beaux Villages de France, Tarn et Garonne,

Set on a rocky outcrop and dominating the Garonne valley, the village of Auvillar (Alta Villa) was established in Gallo-Roman times, and was an important port for the river trade. The Garonne was navigable down to Bordeaux and was an important trade route for grain, wine and for salt from the coast on the return journey. In 1789 the records list 49 sailors and their families living in the village. There is a shrine near the port dedicated to St Catherine (patron saint of river people).

The fortifications that encircled the village still exist today and access to the village is only possible through one of the three ancient doorways. One of the doorways is surmounted by an imposing clock tower of brick and stone built at the end of the 17th Century.

The triangular place in the centre is surrounded by wealthy residences of the 17th and 18th Centuries. In the centre of the place is a circular grain market which was constructed in 1825 and is unique in the south-west of France.
Outside the old high part of the village stands an old Benedictine priory, which is now the church of St Pierre.

Located at the south-west of the department of the Tarn-et-Garonne, overhanging the Garonne river and 8 km from Valence d’Agen.

In the surrounding area, take time to visit the ancient abbey and cloisters at Moissac.