AUBERGE AND GITES (3 ears of corn) DE LA PEMOURA

Bastides appeared in the Gers following the Crusades of the Albigeois. These new towns were met the requirements of a political and religious wish for local and economic development. They were built in strategic sites, following plans based on chessboards. The creation of the first ever bastide dates back to 1255, with Montréal-du-Gers. Many of these “new towns” bear the names of the most prestigious European cities of the time. Therefore, the Gers has its own Valence (1274), Barcelone (1316), Cologne (1284), Florence (Fleurance, 1274)… All these villages should be discovered and visited to experience their unalterable charm

From the 11th to the 13th century, settlements grew up around fortresses, castles and churches. This layout is called “Castelnau”. The oldest castelnaux appear to have been built in the second half of the 11th century with Samatan, Mauvezin, Fourcès… At the start of the 13th century, the castelnaux formed a network of scattered rural villages in an area with a population still largely settled in the countryside. Today, they are of incomparable charm, often build on rocky land or outcrops, offering the skies of Gers their memories built in stone (Lavardens)