The village of Lavit

Welcome to Lavit. Lavit is situated in the gentle rolling hills of the Lomagne region.

‘The origin of the name ‘Lavit de Lomagne’ comes from Vic-de-Lomagne. The village was born at the crossroads of two ancient roads, one of which, known as the ‘chemin des beurriers’, linked the Pyrenees to the Auvergne, and the other, via Toulouse, the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Lavit soon became such a renowned centre for fairs and markets that it was chosen as the capital of the Viscounty of Lomagne. In 1482, Louis XI considered Lavit to be one of the most important strongholds of the viscounty, along with Lectoure, Miradoux and Castéra-Lectourois.
The town became a bastide at the very beginning of the 14th century and a renowned stronghold with its ramparts, drawbridge and castle, now no longer in existence.

The church of Saint-Jacques, built on the original wood and clay sanctuary, was rebuilt on the same site several times over the course of several centuries. What you need to note: the 16th-century sections with walls, buttresses, side chapels and engaged columns. Note also the carvings visible on the old keystones of the chapels and some beautiful carved arches.
Note the inscription in Occitan above the portal. It recalls the Lectoure fire of 1473.
The bell tower dates from the 19th century and is 27 metres high. It has two storeys and a rectangular floor plan.
At the top was a semi-spherical zinc dome that was destroyed by the hurricane of 1913.

Let's move on to the famous market hall: the economic heart of the town:
1 It is located in the centre of the village,
2. It forms a square with 30 m sides,
3. It has 32 cast-iron pillars,
4. It has a metal campanile housing its clock, and the work was carried out by the ironmonger Louis Grillon.
After it collapsed in 1894 and 1897, it was decided to adopt a very modern, industrial style, just as Gustave Eiffel had built his Tower.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Show less