Saint Antonin Noble Val

Legend has it that the body of Saint Antoninus, martyred in Pamiers, sailed so far in a boat driven by two white eagles. A monastery founded in his honour in the 8th century is at the origin of the city, whose plan dates from its greatest extension. Crossroads of trade routes, place of dynamic exchanges, Saint-Antonin experienced considerable growth. Its merchants were present in Italy, Spain, Flanders, its productions went to England, Holland. Tanneries and draperies developed in the Bessarel district. Art, enriched by contacts with Italy, was expressed from the 12th to the 16th century in the sculpture and decoration of bourgeois houses. The city was the seat of a viscount of which testifies the "Roman House" built around 1150, one of the oldest in France, court of the vicomtal viguier, which became town hall in 1313.Today, Saint-Antonin, located on the border of Quercy, Albigeois and Rouergue, is one of the oldest cities in the region. Dominated by the Roc d'Anglars whose high walls rise majestically, St Antonin is nestled in the hollow of a valley between Aveyron and Bonnette.The old mansions tangled along the winding streets with their twin or mullioned windows, their Gothic or Romanesque arches, its old portals, its covered hall, invite you to stroll and explore.Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val offers around twenty magnificent trails for hiking, horseback riding or cycling, over 600 listed climbing routes and a few caves for exploring the underground world. The descent of the Aveyron gorges by canoe takes you to varied and sumptuous landscapes: steep cliffs, bridges, natural banks and beaches, gorges ... In the heart of a tourist region, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val offers many summer activities: cultural events (art fair, concert, theatre, dance ..), heritage (threshing festival, harvest festival, heritage days ..), night markets. The village also lives throughout the year thanks to its many artists and craftsmen:painters, sculptors, jewelers, leatherworkers, couturiers... and also thanks to its famous market, which takes place every Sunday morning. The old houses, tangled along the narrow and winding streets, filled with shadows and mystery, invite you to stroll and take a stroll. Finally, water has always had a privileged place with tanneries from the 12th century, thermal baths at the beginning of the 20th century and the bottling plant that sells water from Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, called the Source of the Prince Black.