A Baroque altarpiece, a house with an 11th-century cellar and a yellow-marked walking trail give Sérignac a range of different starting points for an exploration. The village lies on the Quercy Blanc plateau between Cahors and Villeneuve-sur-Lot. Building history and country walks are among the themes you can weigh up when planning your visit.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church and its altarpiece

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church is in the eastern part of the village centre, which lies on the edge of the plateau above the valley of the Saint-Matré stream. It was rebuilt in the 17th century on the remains of an earlier structure. The church has been listed as a historic monument since 15 November 1993.

The altarpiece deserves particular attention: it is one of the most remarkable examples of Baroque altarpiece art in the Lot. A fully gilded wooden tabernacle is part of its structure, with statuettes set between scenes on carved panels. The altarpiece was gilded or regilded and embellished in 1775 and 1776. The altarpiece itself has been listed as an object since 20 May 1910. The two dates therefore refer to different things: the church and the altarpiece as an individual object.

La Maïsou adds another dimension to this picture of the area’s architectural history. This large bourgeois house has an 11th-century cellar. Sérignac thus brings together evidence from widely separated building periods: an early cellar, a church rebuilt in the 17th century and an altarpiece embellished at a later date.

Châteaux and history in Ferrières

The remarkable Château de Sérignac adjoins Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church. In Ferrières, a former parish, a public square, the Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine and a château form part of the village scene. Sérignac’s smaller hamlets have further architectural features to discover; Ferrières can also be combined with walks through the countryside around the hamlet.

The Château de Ferrières has a different building history from the château near the village centre: construction began in 1775 and was interrupted by the French Revolution in 1789. The château was left unfinished. Its architecture combines 18th-century Neoclassical elements with surviving medieval features, including two towers at the northern corners of the courtyard. The façades and roofs have been listed as historic monuments since 21 July 1960. Its construction period, interruption and surviving older features give the château several clearly distinct historical layers.

Country lanes and a specific walking suggestion

The paths around Ferrières invite you to explore the area around the hamlet. For a longer walk with a clearly described route, try the Chemin de Floressas à Sérignac: this easy, yellow-marked trail is 7.5 kilometres long and takes approximately two hours. After passing through the village archway, it reaches the centre of Sérignac. You can use the approximate duration to plan your time; check route conditions before setting out, as local ground conditions can vary.

The walking trail offers a different way to get a sense of Sérignac than its individual buildings: the route leads to the village centre, while the paths at Ferrières focus on the area around the hamlet. Which option better suits your stay depends on whether you are looking for a clearly described route or country walks around Ferrières.

A washhouse and dolmen to discover

The restored Lavoir de Miraval is a historic washhouse with a distinctive water layout. A spring emerging from a crack in the rock feeds a well and a small washhouse. Across the road is a concrete washhouse with two basins, separating the washing and rinsing areas. The Lavoir de Miraval also offers a panoramic view.

The Dolmen Bois des Garroustes offers another point of interest. It is a double dolmen enclosed by a circular tumulus 17 metres across. Together with the washhouse, churches and châteaux, it shows the variety of historical features in Sérignac, from architecture and water installations to an archaeological monument.

Discover more destinations: Frayssinhes, Montredon, Théminettes, Saint-Cirq-Madelon, Lanzac, Pontcirq, Saint-Pierre-Lafeuille, Carennac

For the broader travel overview: Lot.