Saint-Germain-Des-Prés reveals itself through tangible evidence of art, history and nature. The painting “Entrée du Christ dans Jérusalem” is housed in Saint-Germain Church; the church also contains an 18th-century altarpiece. The painting follows a Venetian model from the end of the 16th century.
Culture and History
The architectural heritage includes the Saint-Pierre manor house, with construction phases dating from the 15th and 19th centuries, a medieval Romanesque bridge, and a château in the town centre, with construction phases dating from the 16th and 19th centuries.
Commemorative ceremonies are held every year at the La Moranchie memorial, attended by families, resistance associations and local residents. A stele at La Moranchie commemorates the six crew members of a Royal Air Force aircraft that crashed on the night of 20–21 August 1944.
Mining activity reached its peak between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Landscape and Nature
The local landscape includes valleys and rocky hills. It is crossed by the Merdanson and Ravillou watercourses.
The former railway tunnel is a site protected by the Natura 2000 network for the conservation of five bat species. The greater mouse-eared bat reproduces in this former railway tunnel.
Paths and Activities
The Boucle du Viaduc starts in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The Corgnac–Saint-Andrieux vélorail route crosses the Saint-Germain-des-Prés viaduct.
The Vélorail du Périgord Vert follows a 14 km route along a former railway line; the ride takes two hours.
The municipal library hosts changing exhibitions.
Those who choose Saint-Germain-Des-Prés as a destination because of its church and works of art may wish to rent a holiday apartment.
