Inside the church is an altar which contained one of the thorns of Jesus’ crown, brought here by a Flemish nun fleeing revolution terror. The bell-tower keep survives from the 12th century but the rest of the Abbey was burnt down in the wars of religion and rebuilt in 1685. The Abbey church of St Cyprien is also in an elevated position. The views from the Montmartre area over the Dordogne valley and St Cyprien itself are superb. This was because Saint-Cyprien occupied a border position between Eleanor’s Aquitaine and the French armies and was under attack during the Hundred Year’s War and the Wars of Religion. They give the impression of having been squeezed into a small space and indeed these are houses built inside the city walls when space for buildings was running out. Here the streets are steep and narrow and the buildings are built on a more modest scale. Heading up above the main part of the town you enter the ‘Montmartre’ area of Saint-Cyprien. In this street you will notive a large Perigordine mansion house on the right and lots of other charming buildings surrounding it.Ĭontinue climbing upwards and admire the lovely buildings as you go a mix of golden stone houses and half-timbered buildings line the streets. Leading up from the Place de la Liberte to the ancient Abbey you can follow the lovely Rue du Terme.
But head behind here to the Place de la Liberte and you enter the beautiful medieval old town of St Cyprien. This is an elegant street with attractive houses, lots of wrought iron balconies and detailed stone work and is packed with bars and restaurants and nice looking boutiques. The main street in St Cyprien is the Rue Gambetta. Saint-Cyprien is situated in the Dordogne department just north of the River Dordogne, between Lalinde and Sarlat.