For a stay in Vaudreuille, Lac de Saint-Ferréol and the history of the village and its buildings stand out as two distinct themes. Vaudreuille includes a large part of the site, the park and Lac de Saint-Ferréol. The lake also extends across Revel, Sorèze and Vaudreuille, and across the départements of Tarn, Aude and Haute-Garonne. The lake is therefore a regional destination, while the church, chapel and other buildings turn the focus to the history of the village.
Lac de Saint-Ferréol: water and circular trail
In summer, the leisure area at the lake offers stand-up paddleboarding, windsurfing, canoeing or kayaking, and pedal boating. Swimming is supervised in July and August. As a land-based alternative, a 4.5 km circular trail runs around the lake. It is suitable for a family outing in the shade of the pine trees. Local conditions may vary; check them before setting out on the walk. The lake thus offers a range of options: seasonal activities on the water and a circular trail whose length and shaded route make planning straightforward, without specifying a walking time.
Dam and church
The Saint-Ferréol Dam is the oldest of the reservoirs of the Canal du Midi and was built between 1667 and 1680. Protected as a historic monument, it lies within the municipalities of Revel and Vaudreuille; it was listed by decree on 13 March 1997. Its construction period and protected status give the dam a different historical context from today’s Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church: it was built in 1886 in the centre of Vaudreuille, on the banks of the Laudot.
The church preserves stained-glass windows and liturgical furnishings donated by the brother of Maurice Van de Gent, the Bishop of Rotterdam. This connection goes back to the destruction of the cathedral there during the German invasion in 1940. In the village centre, a late-19th-century building stands alongside furnishings with their own historical background.
Saint-Martin Chapel and the former village
Saint-Martin Chapel dates from around the year 1000 and is now outside the village of Vaudreuille, on a small hill overlooking the village. Inside are 15th-century frescoes, which have been listed in the inventory of historic monuments since 1948. Access to the interior may vary during restoration work. If you would like to see the frescoes, check access for your specific visit.
Near the cemetery, stone walls and the bell gable of a small pre-Romanesque church have also been preserved. They are from the former village of Saint-Martin de Vaudreuille. The chapel and cemetery’s current location outside the village, and the surviving structural elements of the former village, tell different aspects of local history: one shows the present-day layout, the other the traces of the earlier settlement.
Maison Get, bridge and orientation
Maison Get, also known as Château de Lancastre, is a large house in Vaudreuille overlooking Lac de Saint-Ferréol. It was completed in 1902; parts of its interiors were designed in the Art Nouveau style. Another structure combines several uses: the bridge with a washhouse and livestock watering trough is considered rare and well preserved. Its three functions can be seen together in the structure.
The former National Gliding Centre of Montagne Noire also extends into Vaudreuille. An orientation board is located above the gliding centre on Chemin d’En Roujou. Along with the churches, dam and buildings, this place adds another connection to Montagne Noire to the historical themes. When choosing the focus of your stay, you can therefore choose between the seasonal Lac de Saint-Ferréol and various histories of buildings and the village.
Discover more destinations: Nogaret, Brax, Labastide-Paumès, Montlaur, Saint-Aventin, Labège, Tournefeuille, Roquettes.
For the main travel overview: Haute-Garonne.
