Coly valley hikes: Condat-sur-Vézère

Condat on confluence of the Vézère and Coly.

The name Condat derives from the gallic word 'condate', meaning 'confluence of two rivers', in this case the Vézère and the Coly. The first writings evoking Condat go back to the Middle Ages. Today the village is known as Condat-sur-Vézère (occitan Condat de Vesera) to avoid confusion as the name is 'Condat' is quite common.

Condat during its festivities.

Condat was occupied by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (also known as Knights Hospitalier or Hospitallers for short) from the 12^th till the 18^th century. After the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 during the first crusade, the organization became a religious and military order charged with the care and defense of the Holy Land. Pope Clement V dissolved the rival order, the Knights Templar, in 1312 and turned over much of their property to the Hospitallers.

Map of Condat-sur-Vézère.

The village was the seat of the principal commanderie of the Hospitallers which had authority over a genuine network of commanderies of the Périgord. The commanders had the right on high and low justice and his authority was exercised over the many possessions in Périgord. From 1291 to 1790, thirty commanders succeeded one another in Condat. During the wars of religion the parish of Condat was devastated several times.

Romanesque church of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

The commanderie of Condat has conserved the majority of the buildings as they were (re)constructed under the command of François de Touchboeuf Clermont by 1540. The small watermill (1), large watermill with the common bread oven (2) (four banal), the church (3), prison (4), commanders lodge (5), noble house of Verdier (6), remnants of the ancient enclosure wall (7) and fishponds. The Hospitallers exploited the hydrolic power of the Coly through mills to work grain, nuts and hemp though this last 'fulling mill' has today disappeared.

The 14th century prison tower.

From the Castle of Condat, the 16^th century lodge remains and the 14^th century prison tower, registered as historical monuments since 1948. The rectangular building has an adjacent square on one side, fishpond and ramparts on the other, and in the opposite corner a 16^th century tower. The Romanesque church of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Jean-Baptiste, dates back to the 12^th century with its fortified flat bell tower with four bays, that is accessible through a staircase in the right buttress. The old residences include the noble house of the Verdier and some half-timbered (à colombage) houses (8).

Transhumance passing through the village.

The four banal (commune oven) is a reminder of the restrictions in feudal tenure in France which obliged peasants to use the facilities of their lords, until the 18^th century. These included the required use-for-payment of the lord's mill to grind grain, his wine press to make wine, and his oven to bake bread. Both the manorial lord's right to these dues and the banality-dues themselves are called droit de banalité. The object of this right was qualified as 'banal', e.g. the four banal.

Hiking the Boucle de Maurival.

You can walk around Condat in 30 minutes or hike one of the following trails: Boucle de la Commanderie; 9km – 3h, Boucle du Pech; 2,7km – 1h and, Boucle de Maurival; 11,6km – 3h. Find out more about the landscape, history, vegetation, the villages and life on the causse:

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