In Saint-Béat-Lez, medieval heritage meets the marble works of the Festival du Marbre. Saint-Béat is suitable for visitors who would like to rent a holiday apartment.
History and culture
The Église Saint-Privat is a Romanesque church from the 12th century and was classified as a historic monument in 1994. Its church treasury includes polychrome wooden statues from the 12th and 16th centuries classified as historic monuments, reliquaries, numerous 16th-century goldsmiths’ works, and richly embroidered vestments. The church was built in 1120 by Benedictine monks to house a priory that no longer exists today.
The Festival du Marbre includes symposia at which international sculptors work on blocks of marble before the eyes of the public, exhibitions featuring sculptures by more than fifteen artists, and workshops in ceramics, stone, marble, or bronze supervised by professional sculptors.
The ruins of the medieval castle in Saint-Béat-Lez include a fortified seigneurial tower built in the 12th century and a platform. The ruins and the platform are permanently open, while the tower is not accessible to the public for safety reasons.
The ruins of the medieval castle offer sweeping views over the village, the Garonne, and the mountains.
The village is also crossed by the Circuit des sculptures, a freely accessible circular trail featuring around fifteen sculptures from the Festival du Marbre.
Nature and activities
At the Saint-Béat-Lez climbing area, visitors can climb in a very old marble quarry exploited by the Romans.
Lac de Géry is a leisure lake in the municipality of Saint-Béat-Lez. Fishing, walks, picnics, and mini-golf are possible there. A valid Haute-Garonne fishing permit is required for fishing at Lac de Géry.
Getting there and the village
Saint-Béat-Lez can be reached from Toulouse by a direct TER-liO train on the Toulouse–Luchon route. Marignac-Saint-Béat station is about 2 km from the village.
Moulin des Arts is a unique 16th-century watermill that served as a grain mill until 1960. It is distinguished by a white marble basin made from Saint-Béat marble.
More local pages: Frontignan-Savès, Escanecrabe, Aigrefeuille, Garin, Vendine, Sainte-Foy-Dʼaigrefeuille, Nogaret, Clarac
