Local history ...
This part of the Garonne valley is already inhabited in prehistorical periods (aurignacian, and earlier). In the time of Julius Caesar, the roman road from Tolosa (Toulouse) to Lugdunum Convenarum (Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges) passes nearby.
(Raymond the 7th, Count of Toulouse) 
After the destructions caused by the Vandals, after the reign of the Wisigothic kings, and the conquest by the Franks, during the middle ages Palaminy is under the rule of the Counts of Toulouse, the Counts of Foix or the Counts of Comminges.
In 1245, the local Lord, Roger of Aspet, a cousin to the Count of Comminges, acknowledges feudal rights to the Count of Toulouse, Raimond the 7th (son of Raymond the 6th and of Princess Joan of England, sister of King Richard the Lionhearted).
Circa 1260, his heir and successor, his only daughter Joan of Toulouse, married with Alfonso of Poitiers (brother of the King of France Louis the 9th - Saint Louis, and a great grandson of Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen of England), decides to build here a fortified place (one of these new towns called "bastides"). This prince of the capetian house of France establishes a chart for common freedom and rights. Since then, the inhabitants of Palaminy have maintained their local autonomy and have chosen their two "consuls" to govern their city council every year until 1789.
Famous Gaston Count of Foix (Gaston Fébus) is Lord of Palaminy from 1349 to 1391, because of his marriage with Princess Agnès of Navarra, a niece of the King of France. Froissart, well known writer, and an admirer of Fébus, relates his journey to Palaminy , which he qualifies as a "good walled city", a day when its wooden bridge over the Garonne had just been carried away by a flood. When Gaston Fébus became Lord of Palaminy, the two "consuls" immediately asked him to confirm their freedom charts. The answer was carefully preserved, and a 17th century copy was still of legal use to protect the rights of local commoners until the French Revolution.
Palaminy was a stage on one of the pilgrims'way to Santiago de Campostela (the Garonne valley sideway linking Saint Sernin of Toulouse and Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges). In the village church, a splendid goldgilt wood statue of the Apostle Saint James reminds the pilgrims' devotion.
The Barons of L'Isle d'Arbéchan (nowadays L'Isle-de-Noé, Gers) have residence in the castle in 1400 A.D. One of them, Gaspard de L'Isle, was a great captain who became famous in the victory against Talbot at the battle of Castillon (july 17th, 1453), which ended the 100 year war. He built the nearby castle of Couladère.
In 1499, his grand-nephew, Paul de Fontaines, heading a private squad, took the castle by force. Much later, The Courts of Toulouse will eventually endorse his violent take of inheritance.
François de Tersac, Baron of Montberaud, is Lord of Palaminy at the time of the French wars of religion, and one of the leaders of the Catholic League in the region . But eventually , king Henry the 4th, showing generosity and political sense, recognized with honour the fidelity and the courage of his former foes : by a special mention in the treaty signed in 1598 with the Duke of Joyeuse, he gave to the Lord of Palaminy a retainer of 1200 écus, and a title of Gentleman of the Royal Chamber.
Under the reign of Louis the 15th, Samuel Eimar, a reputable lawyer and financier holds the castle of Palaminy. In 1727, he is nominated "Capitoul" of the City of Toulouse. He holds the second rank of honour in the City Council of Toulouse, among the eight "capitouls", still reminded nowadays by the eight pink marble columns of the famous Toulouse "Capitole" (City Hall).
The year 1729, his son marries Louise-Françoise de Lévis-Léran, daughter of Paul-Louis de Lévis, Marquis de Léran. The descendants of this couple have owned the castle of Palaminy ever since. In 1789, Dominique-Louis Eimar de Palaminy will work actively in the preparations of the États-Généraux (Royal Parliament). He will be elected by the local nobility as secretary for the area, and later as deputy of the representative. He wrote most of the local "cahier de doléances", asking for long due reforms as freedom of the press, a yearly budget submitted to the Parliament and equal taxing for all citizens. In 1793, in the period of the revolutionary terror, he was arrested and sent to prison, but thanks to a petition by the inhabitants of his village of Laloubère (near Tarbes), eventually he escaped beheadment by the guillotine and was released.
At the very beginning of the 20th century, Samuel, Marquis of Palaminy, managed to restore the castle main courtyard, giving it back its renaissance outlook, slightly blurred through various changes during the 18th and 19th centuries.
TOURISTIC PLACES OF INTEREST :
The neighbourhood of Palaminy offers many opportunities :
In the immediate neighbourhood :
Cazères-sur-Garonne *
Cazères is a small town along the river Garonne and close to a stretch of smooth water, 1 1/2 km from Palaminy. Available : conveniences and many shops (e.g. delicatessen, patisseries/cake shops...) and services (banks , hairdressers, doctors, etc.). Car rentals are also available in Cazères.
Martres-Tolosane *
Famous for its earthenware artists , many working exactly in the style and manner of the eighteenth century . Roman remains can be seen inside the church . Nearby, the Chiragan marbles have been found.
Rieux-Volvestre *
A picturesque town , with a church once a cathedral , and a fifteenth c. bridge reflecting itself in a loop of the river Arize.
Montbrun-Bocage
This small village church is remarquable for its late middle-age wall paintings, and for its picturesque belfry. A feudal castle overlooks the old houses of the village.
Aurignac *
Aurignacian period (30 000 to 20 000 B.C.) is named after this town where prehistoric remains were found nearby. A dungeon as well as a church tower dominate the hilltop city, where many old houses have been restored.
Alan
From the thirteenth century to 1789 it was the winter residence of the bishops of Comminges. Alan has an interesting church facing the former bishop's residence. A gate leads to a tower adorned in late gothic style, with the famous "vache d'Alan" , a sculpture the inhabitants of Alan protected from a project of dismantlment and export.
Montsaunès
Place of a Templars commandership , this village has a remarquable church with romanesque sculptures and wall paintings.
At less than a one-hour drive :
Le Mas d'Azil *
A majestic landscape as the river enters the cliff alongside with the road, through a cave (height up to 65 meters). As a natural shelter (length 420 meters) it has been used by man in prehistoric ages. The neighbouring medieval village has a museum dedicated to prehistoric art and artefacts.
Saint-Bertrand de Comminges *
A spectacular, historical monument cathedral in an ancient city, conquered by the Roman general Pompey in 72 BC, once called "Lugdunum Convenarum" and said to have been the place of exile of Herod, in 39 AD. Today, thanks to its famous music festival "Festival du Comminges", an exceptionnal renaissance organ has been preserved inside the cathedral which dates back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. A romanesque cloister, similar to those presented in New York at The Cloisters, has an open side overlooking green hills... Remains of the Gallo-Roman city stand below. From the church Saint-Just of Valcabrère, 1 km further, one has a marvelous view of the site of Saint-Bertrand de Comminges. A few kilometers further, the Gargas Caves can be visited...
Toulouse *
The city of Concorde and Airbus, Toulouse also hosts a Space Museum. Its charm comes from its streets, places, churches, its ancient townhouses, the color of its bricks, its City Hall "le Capitole"... Among important things to see :
- Hôtel d'Assézat - Fondation Bemberg (paintings and furniture in a renaissance townhouse).
- Musée des Augustins (paintings and sculpture)
- Eglise des Jacobins (14th c., unique "palm tree" column of the church, cloister...)
- Cathédrale Saint-Etienne (romanesque nave, gothic nave...)
- Basilique Saint-Sernin (larger romanesque church in France)
- Centre d'Art Moderne et Contemporain (transformed 19th c. slaughterhouse).
- ...and the Canal du Midi.
For one-day tours :
The Cathar's castles (Montségur, Puivert, Arques*...)
The famous "châteaux cathares", sites of the troubled fight of the barons from the north against the local followers of the "cathar" dualist religion, are to be reached from Palaminy through beautiful and varied landscapes. Best known of all, the castle of Montségur appears atop a limestone peak overseeing the hills around Lavelanet, ( near Foix ) . It witnessed the last battles of the "croisade des albigeois" (ca 1209 - 1244 AD). Puivert castle is spectacular (24 km further). A little further is Rennes-le-Château, now a pilgrimage for "The Da Vinci Code" fans. One of the best preserved feudal castles around is the dungeon of Arques*.
Les Pyrénées* (le Val d'Aran, Bagnères-de-Luchon, Lourdes, Gavarnie...)
Two summits of the Pyrénées can be seen from Palaminy : the "Mont Valier" (2838 meters), and the "Pic du Midi de Bigorre" (2865 meters). Driving upriver in the Garonne valley, the Spanish border and the "Val d'Aran" (River Garonne springs) are easily reached. This Spanish valley, on the "French side" of the Pyrénées, with tiny villages scattered in the mountain and many romanesque churches is worth visiting. Bagnères-de-Luchon, a renowned spa (with hot swimming-pool, vaporarium caves...), is also a starting point for sightseeing trips or walks (Venasque pass, Cascade d'Enfer...).
Lourdes is 70 minutes away from Palaminy. Close by Gavarnie offers either mule ride or walk to the "Cirque de Gavarnie", a five star landscape with the highest water falls in Europe.
Hundreds of other trips in the Pyrénées are within reach, by car, walking, cycling, hiking or genuine mountain climbing.
Carcassonne *
Who wants to travel back in time ? Walking along the walls of the "cité" is unforgettable. The "Cité de Carcassonne", fortified during the Roman times and the Middle Age, is only one hour and 15 minutes drive from Palaminy.
More day trips ...
The three cities of the famous "golden triangle" of French painting :
- Albi and its Toulouse-Lautrec museum.
- Montauban ( Ingres museum drawings and paintings...)
- Castres and its Goya museum.
Moissac * (world famous romanesque cloister and porch)
Hills and valleys of Gascony, with Auch (cathedral), Lectoure, the castles of the Gers ( such as Lavardens)
Enjoy also wine tasting in one of the many vineyards of the area, such as : "pays toulousain", Fronton, Gaillac, Cahors, Côtes de Gascogne, Madiran, Jurançon, etc.
Touristic, cultural and leisure activities are available in every season :
- Summer : Music Festivals in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges ( click for the site), Saint-Lizier, Toulouse, Marciac (jazz festival), Pic du Midi, etc.
- Winter : Various ski and winter sports resorts are at day commuting distance from Palaminy : Superbagnères, Peyragudes, or Guzet-Neige , in France ; Baqueira-Beret, in Spain (Val d'Aran).
Here, you will enjoy a special gastronomy and its local products including wine and spirits ! Treats such as foie gras duck and goose , "frais" or "mi-cuit", with or without truffles , armagnac many amateurs say better than cognac , plus the excellent wines of Cahors, Fronton, Gaillac, Minervois, Cabardès, Corbières, Jurançon or Madiran , are ever-renewed pleasures !
Local open air markets (in Cazères and other nearby villages) offer natural, home-grown products.
We will be happy to help you with information on what to see, where to go, willing to answer personnally to your own preferences; we speak English and Spanish and have a knowledge of German ...
