Moissac

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Moissac – an Art and History Town

An Art and History town whose abbey church and cloister are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pilgrim Ways to Santiago de Compostela, Moissac has a rich heritage stretching from medieval times to the modern era.

A medieval town surrounded by vines

This pretty town nestles between the Tarn and hillsides, between the canal and the abbey church, between the Uvarium and the Cloister and attracts thousands of visitors who come to enjoy at its architectural treasures and tranquil way of life. A stopover on one of the pilgrim ways to Santiago de Compostela, it also welcomes pilgrims from around the world every year plus visitors to its Centre for Romanesque Art. Besides its heritage buildings, Moissac is surrounded by beautiful hillsides planted with vines. Enjoy walks along leafy footpaths or beside the canal, have a bike ride along the Vélo Voie Verte cycle path.

Moissac is a splendid, surprising town, steeped in history, art and culture and a wonderful place to explore for children, grownups and modern day pilgrims.

Moissac – Cloister and Abbey

Le Canal à Moissac — Moissac was built as a monastic village, no doubt in the shadow of the great Abbey of Saint-Pierre which was founded, according to legend, by Clovis. In the Middle Ages its Benedictine monastery was one of the largest religious communities in the western Christian world, illustrated by the remaining, well-preserved buildings dating from the Romanesque era : the cloister and the abbey church with its famous tympanum.

By the 15th century, Moissac had already become an important town of the Quercy province : its port on the River Tarn was very busy with boats taking various goods to Bordeaux, especially wine and flour from the large local mills. River trade reached its height in the 18th century and most of the grand mansions in the town centre date from that time. The Revolution brought monastic life at the Abbey of Saint-Pierre to a close and the Commune of Moissac was created. The end of the 19th century saw major changes to the traditional agriculture on the slopes of the Moissac hillsides when the century-old vines were replaced with the chasselas variety. This white table grape quickly made a name for itself and the resulting wine, AOC Chasselas de Moissac, has held Protected Designation of Origin status since 1971.

In 1930, severe flooding destroyed entire districts of the town and the rebuilding work profoundly changed the appearance of Moissac. In the 1960s, the town spread to the new district of Sarlac on the hillside marking the last major phase in its long development.

The Route to Santiago de Compostela at Moissac

Pathways mean of course walkers but also the many heritage buildings dotted along the way which provided the infrastructure for the pilgrims including churches, hospitals, bridges and much more.

In 1998, the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France became a UNESCO World Heritage Site of outstanding universal value featuring 7 sections of the route and 71 individual sites nationwide. The pilgrim way in Tarn-et-Garonne is the Via Podiensis which starts in Puy en Velay and is the most popular route to Santiago de Compostela today. It goes through the villages of Sainte-Juliette, Lauzerte, Durfort-Lacapelette, Moissac, Boudou, Malause, Pommevic, Espalais, Auvillar and Bardigues. There is also a variation which follows the ‘voie verte’ (traffic-free greenway) beside the Canal des Deux Mers and passes close to the outdoor leisure activity centre at Saint Nicolas de la Grave. Moissac is a major stopover on the route in south-west France due to its wonderful heritage buildings, railway station and amenities. It is 24km south of Lauzerte and 21km east of Auvillar.

The Canal des Deux-Mers and its Vélo Voie Verte Cycle Route

The plan to link the Mediterranean and the Atlantic in order to improve trade routes in the South of France goes back a long way ! The Canal de Garonne (Toulouse – Bordeaux) was built in the 19th century as the prolongation of the Canal du Midi (Toulouse-Sète) constructed by Pierre-Paul Riquet in the 17th century. It opened in 1845 passing through Moissac which has several interesting features : the Pont Canal du Cacor, a navigable aqueduct, and the Pont Tournant St Jacques, a swing bridge in the town centre. With its 15 arches of Toulouse brick and Quercy stone the emblematic 356 metre long aqueduct is one of the 3 largest navigable aqueducts in France.

Freight transport never really flourished, but waterway tourism and the conversion of the towpath to a cycle path have given the canal a new lease of life. It is now even possible to live on the Canal de Garonne all year round !

Chasselas grapes

The Moissac Chasselas grape AOP (PDO) is registered in the National Inventory for Intangible Cultural Heritage. This delicious golden grape is a unique product which thrives in the soil and semi-oceanic climate of Moissac. It is an internationally-renowned fruit produced using age-old skills.

Poets

An important tourist destination, Moissac is also the birthplace of many literary figures and poets including Camille Delthil (1834-1902), Louis Allanche (1868-1943), Louis Gardes (1874 – 1943) and many others. Moissac was also the homeland of the famous illustrator and graphic artist Firmin Bouisset (1859-1925), who immortalised numerous brand names with his many advertising posters for products like Meunier chocolate, LU biscuits, Leroux chicory, JOB cigarette papers, Maggi stock cubes, and many more.

What to do around Moissac : walking, horse riding, water sports at Saint Nicolas de la Grave, bird reserve, art and craft workshops.

How to get to Moissac

By road :

Autoroute A62 via Bordeaux

By bus : to Moissac

By rail : to Moissac

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