Vendine has a clear historical focus: a memorial plaque commemorates the Maison de Vendine and its role during the Second World War. The Maison is also the first of 14 stages on the Le Lauragais en RĂ©sistance route. This makes it possible to understand the place both through the history of a single house and through its place in a broader themed route.
The Maison de Vendine and Its History
On Sunday, June 2, 2024, a memorial plaque for the Maison de Vendine was unveiled in Vendine. It tells the story of the house during the Second World War and highlights the rescue of Jewish children by a network led by Jules Géraud Saliège, the Archbishop of Toulouse. The plaque thus connects the place of refuge with the network and its leadership.
The Maison de Vendine became a refuge for children under the age of 15 who were able to be removed from internment camps in France. Nearly forty children received protection and comfort there. The age limit describes who the house offered refuge to; the approximate number gives a clearer sense of the scale of the assistance. These details give the story a concrete connection to the house and the children it protected.
One point is important for understanding the timeline: June 2, 2024, marks the unveiling of the plaque, not the events it commemorates. Those events took place during the Second World War. The occasion for commemoration and the historical actions are therefore clearly distinguished.
First Stage of the Le Lauragais en RĂ©sistance Route
As the first of 14 stages, the Maison provides a clear starting point for the Le Lauragais en RĂ©sistance route. This makes Vendine part of a themed sequence, while the memorial plaque focuses on the history of the house itself. For your planning, these are two different ways to explore the site: you can focus on its local history or consider the Maison within the structure of the route. Route details may be updated, so check the latest stage information before making specific plans. The number 14 refers to the sequence of stages, not the duration of a visit.
A Regional Perspective on the Landscape
The regional landscape provides another dimension alongside the historical theme. In the Collines ouvertes du Lauragais landscape area, the Vendinelle flows from south to north and joins the Girou. The direction of the river and its confluence describe a specific geographical aspect of this landscape. This differs from the route: the route places the Maison within a themed sequence of stages, while the river information describes the regional landscape. When choosing your trip, cultural history and landscape therefore stand side by side as distinct, clearly defined points of interest.
Discover more destinations: Montaigut-Sur-Save, Sainte-Foy-Dʼaigrefeuille, Villematier, Labège, Lasserre, Cabanac-Séguenville, Bérat, Puymaurin.
For the broader travel overview: Haute-Garonne.
