Our journey through south-western France brought us to Saint-Macaire, a small historic town in the Gironde overlooking the Garonne. After so many rural villages and practical stops along the road, this was the kind of place that immediately justified taking a little more time. Saint-Macaire is compact enough to explore without having to deal with a large town, yet behind its fortified entrances there is a surprisingly complete medieval centre, with narrow streets, old stone houses and the remains of the walls that once protected what was an important trading settlement.
The history of Saint-Macaire is closely connected with its position above the Garonne. A settlement already existed here during the Gallo-Roman period, when the site was known as Ligéna, and by the eleventh century the Dukes of Aquitaine had established a castle while the Abbey of Sainte-Croix in Bordeaux founded a priory. During the Middle Ages the town developed into a prosperous commercial centre. Its merchants traded through the river port, substantial houses were built within the fortifications and the town gained a degree of independence, with a mayor recorded as early as 1256. Much of this past can still be understood simply by walking through the old centre.
One of the most attractive parts of Saint-Macaire is the Place du Mercadiou, the historic market square, bordered by old merchant houses and arcaded galleries. The architecture gives the centre a much stronger medieval character than its small size might suggest. The fortified gateways and surviving sections of the ramparts reinforce that impression, while the Église Saint-Sauveur preserves remarkable fourteenth-century wall paintings depicting religious scenes including the Apocalypse, the Annunciation, Saint James the Great and Saint Catherine. Beyond the old buildings, the position above the Garonne also helps explain why this small town once became so important: the river was its principal commercial route and Saint-Macaire occupied a strategic point between inland Aquitaine and Bordeaux.
Its prosperity eventually declined as the course of the Garonne moved away from the old walls and the port had to be relocated during the seventeenth century. Later, Saint-Macaire became associated with crafts and particularly cooperage, before much of its historic architecture began to be consciously protected during the twentieth century. Today this long history is still very visible, and the town has managed to retain the atmosphere of an old fortified settlement rather than becoming simply another modern suburb along the river.
For us, Saint-Macaire was exactly the sort of place that makes travelling slowly by motorhome worthwhile. It is not a large destination requiring an entire day, but it offers much more than might be expected from such a small town, and its combination of medieval streets, fortified architecture, old merchant houses and views towards the Garonne made it a very pleasant stop on our route through this part of France.