Souillac, Lot

Souillac (Languedocien: Solhac) is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France, on the river Dordogne. It is the site of the new Brive–Souillac Airport, which opened in 2010. The town hosts an annual jazz festival in July. The abbey church has famous Romanesque carvings.

Souillac
Commune
A general view of Souillac
Coat of arms
Location of Souillac
Souillac
Souillac
Coordinates: 44°54′02″N 1°28′44″E
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentLot
ArrondissementGourdon
CantonSouillac
(Chef-lieu)
IntercommunalityCausses et Vallée de la Dordogne
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Jean-Claude Laval
Area
1
25.92 km2 (10.01 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
3,284
 • Density130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
46309 /46200
Elevation80–314 m (262–1,030 ft)
(avg. 221 m or 725 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Souillac is in the upper Dordogne Valley where the river cuts through the limestone plateau of Haut-Quercy, a historic name for the northern part of the Department of Lot. This is part of the Massif Central, an elevated region in south central France. To the north of Souillac lies the commune of Lachapelle-Auzac, to the east Mayrac and Pinsac, to the south Lanzac, to the south west Peyrillac-et-Millac and Cazoulès, to the west Orliaguet and to the northwest Salignac-Eyvigues, Borrèze and Gignac.[2]

The town

Souillac is a small market town, and is the hub for the area. This is an agricultural region which is known for its walnuts, strawberries and quiet, rural way of life.[3]

Tourism

The town is on the main railway line from Paris to Toulouse and is about 15 km (9 mi) south of the Brive–Souillac Airport which has international flights. The most notable building in the town is the abbey church of Sainte-Marie. The domed roofs are similar to but rather smaller than those of Périgueux Cathedral. Fragments of the original Romanesque sculptures are grouped just inside the west door. Behind the abbey church is the Musée de l'Automate which has a large collection of mechanical figures and dolls.[3]

An international jazz festival is held annually in the town in July.[4] The festival was started in 1976 by a group of volunteers enthused by Sim Copans, a United States Army non-combatant in World War I who came to live in nearby Lanzac. The festival features live concerts and other jazz-related activities.[4]

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See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Philips' Modern School Atlas. George Philip and Son, Ltd. 1973. p. 43. ISBN 0-540-05278-7.
  3. Dodd, Jan (2013). The Rough Guide to Dordogne & the Lot. Rough Guides Limited. pp. 241–. ISBN 978-1-4093-2992-3.
  4. "Souillac Jazz Festival 2015 – 40th Year of Jazz, Great Jazz, Nothing But Jazz". French News Online. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
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