La Halle aux Graines, Auvillar, France

Auvillar, in The Tarn et Garonne (82) departement has been voted one of the most beautiful villages of France, and justly so!
It is on the St Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage route

The village is perched on a rocky outcrop that surplombs The Garonne river, between Agen and Montauban . It was firstly a Gallo-Roman town called Alta Villa and has been invaded many times throughout history, notably The Normans up to the 10th Century before becoming the property of The Counts of Armagnac in the 14th and 15th Century, when it fell into the hands of the Kings of Navarone (Spain) until it was attached to the French crown under Henry IV in 1589.

The village has been invaded and besieged during the Crusade Albigeois under Simon de Montfort, the 100 years War and The Wars of Religion.

Auvillar became prosperous during the 17th to the 19th Century for the production of pottery and the making of quills for calligraphy from goose feathers.
It was also a very busy river port on The Garonne, with over 3,000 boats per year docking.

The circular grain market (unique in South West France) that is depicted here, was built in 1825 on the remains of a much earlier market square.

There are also remains of a 12th century Benedictine priory built into The Church of St Pierre and a 14th Century Chapel of Sainte Cathérine (The patron Saint of mariners) on the old quay near the river.

All around the market square there are vaulted colonnades made from the traditional pink brick.

I hope you Tuesday is a good one.