Atur brings together a Romanesque church and the Lanterne des morts with marked hiking trails. This gives you both architecture and the history of monuments to explore as you plan your trip, along with practical opportunities for hiking: the three named routes differ in length and markings, while the Boucle Aturienne is described through its landscape.
Romanesque Architecture and Heritage Protection
The Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in Atur is a Romanesque church. Its square bell tower stands on an octagonal dome; the semicircular portal features small columns and carved capitals. These details offer more than a stylistic label for architectural appreciation: the church brings together different geometric forms and carefully crafted features on its portal. By decree of 21 May 1947, the church was listed as a historic monument.
The Lanterne des morts in Atur is also a historic monument: it has been classified since 21 May 1932 and is considered the oldest of three such lanterns in the Périgord. Compared with the church’s listing, its classification came 15 years earlier. The two sites therefore offer different historical points of reference: in addition to its dated monument status, the Lanterne can be compared with others in the Périgord.
Hiking Trails by Length and Marking
Route 1 starting from Atur is 6.5 km long and marked in blue. Route 3 from Atur covers 8 km and is marked in red; Route 4 from Atur is 11 km long and is also marked in red. Route 1 is therefore the shortest and Route 4 the longest of the three routes listed, with Route 3 in between. The two outer routes differ by 4.5 km, and Route 3 is 1.5 km longer than Route 1. This lets you compare the routes by distance and also take their color markings into account as an additional way to distinguish them.
Hikes from Atur start at the town’s delegated town hall. Marked hiking trails from Atur can be used on foot or by bicycle. The municipal hiking network also includes trails in Boulazac, Saint-Laurent-sur-Manoire and Sainte-Marie-de-Chignac, so it extends beyond Atur to include other municipalities.
Scenery along the Boucle Aturienne
A small path on the Boucle Aturienne is lined with fields, woods and an orchard. In addition to the numbered routes, this trail offers a way to experience the landscape: while the three routes can be compared by length and marking, the Boucle Aturienne stands out for the surroundings described here. When choosing a route, you can therefore consider both distance information and landscape features.
As you plan your trip, you can choose according to your interests: the church and the Lanterne des morts offer architecture and heritage, while the marked routes give you specific options for choosing a trail.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Vincent-Sur-L'isle, Gabillou, Salon, Jaure, Valojoulx, Sadillac, Savignac-LĂ©drier, Saint-Seurin-De-Prats.
See the wider travel guide: Dordogne.
