Village de Coly-Saint-Amand

Just a stone's throw from the Lascaux cave in the Dordogne and 20km from Sarlat, the village of Coly-Saint-Amand, magnificently restored and classified "Most Beautiful Villages in France" Saint-Amand-de-Coly, has several houses and pigeon lofts typical of the Périgord Noir, but above all, a majestic 12th century abbey considered to be the most beautiful fortified church in the Périgord. With its grey tiles, yellow and ochre stones, the church of the former abbey of Coly-Saint-Amand is the archetype of a fortified sanctuary. From the prison tower housing a defence chamber, to the watchtower concealed in the transept, the ensemble is impressive. The ramparts and the multiple defence points of the church give an idea of the importance of this Augustinian abbey which reigned over vast territories and resisted the trials of the Hundred Years' War as well as the wars of religion.