Marciac
Marciac is a small, peaceful, oval-shaped bastide with a rampart walk following the old surrounding wall.
Marciac – Bastide and Jazz Capital !
Marciac is a small, peaceful, oval-shaped bastide with a rampart walk following the old surrounding wall. It has a vast central square, once the site of a covered market, lined with shops and paved with stones featuring musical notes. The square is still the dynamic centre of the village and the venue of a traditional market on Wednesdays and many other events.
Since 1978, this small town has become the capital of jazz thanks to the festival created by André Muller and developed by Jean-Louis Guilhaumon. During the festival (29 July - 14 August), around 6,000 people attend a concert every evening in a specially-erected huge marquee. Marciac welcomes the greatest names in jazz and the festival is now internationally famous. In 2018 performers included Winston Marsalis and Ibrahim Maalouf, the great guitarist Pat Metheny, author-composer-singer Melody Gardot, pianist Brad Mehldau, Marcus Miller bassist with Miles Davis, Santana and Joan Baez. The Astrada, opened in 2011, is a modern concert hall and the venue for around 50 performances annually during the festival and throughout the year : drama, circus, classical music, dance, singing, comedy… and jazz of course !
Jazz lands :
The Musée du Jazz is a museum devoted to the history of jazz and the only one of its kind in Europe. It is open to everyone, from jazz novices to the most discerning of fans and uses cutting-edge technology. The twelve sets, each depicting a stage in the history of jazz, are associated with a musical illustration or a video. This superb exhibition takes you from Africa to Louisiana and New Orleans, from Blues and Spirituals to New York clubs before arriving in Europe, the adopted home of many jazzmen.
Sight-seeing in Marciac :
The Chapelle Notre Dame de Sainte Croix is an idyllic, magical place, full of charm and away from the outside world. It has a serene, tranquil atmosphere. Its history is enchanting. A wonderful place to find inner peace. The church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption is a 15th century Gothic building with a square belltower-porch.
The 14th century octagonal bell tower, the facade and the portal are all that remains of the ancient Augustine convent. In the 19th century, the south gallery of the cloister, which survived the Wars of Religion, was either shipped to the USA or transferred to a property near Paris. Research carried out by Céline Brugeat confirms the first supposition, indicating that the cloister was bought by the American press magnate, William Randolph Hearst, and is now on show at Hearst Castle on the Californian coast.
The deeply-rooted south-west traditions of ‘Course Landaise’ and Spanish bullfighting are perpetuated in the Marciac Arena.
Lac de Marciac : this 30 hectare lake is renowned for its coolness and tranquillity. It is ideal for fishing, especially night fishing for carp. Pedaloes and small boats can be hired there or you can enjoy a beautiful walk around the lake between sun and shade.
The pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, from Arles to Col de Somport, crosses the Gers from east to west passing through Isle Jourdain, Auch and Marciac.
Not far from Marciac :
Montesquiou : a ‘castelnau’ opening onto the Pyrenees and a halt on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela
Bassoues and the Donjon de Bassoues (keep) on the Route des Bastides and the Route des Castelnau
Mirande, a pretty bastide, rural holiday resort and one of the rare French villages to have been awarded the international status of Cittaslow dedicated to quality of life.
Growers, producers, markets and restaurants all provide opportunities to discover the wealth of this wine-growing corner of Gers. Make an appointment to visit the Domaine de Bilé at Bassoues to tour the wine cellars and taste the fine Côtes de Gascogne wines, Floc and Armagnac or visit Château de Viella at Viella : Madiran, Pacherenc Vic Bilh …. Or the Cave de Saint Mont.
Book a table at the Ferme-Auberge in the Hameau de l’Aoueille or the Vielle Etable at St Médard for traditional Gers dishes. A word of advice : don’t eat anything the day before !
Top tip from « Camille » from Gîtes de France Gers " My favourite thing to do in Marciac is to stroll around the narrow streets, following the historic visitor trail, going to see the statue of Winton Marsalis and the main square where 35 music scores represent the 35 pillars of the old covered market…"
Marciac is 50km from Auch, capital of Gers, via the N21 and 42km from Tarbes, capital of Hautes-Pyrénées, via the D935. The nearest airport is Tarbes Lourdes (53km). The nearest railway stations are at Tarbes or Auch. A bus service runs from Tarbes to Marciac twice daily."
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