Beaumont-du-Périgord - Saint-Laurent-et-Saint-Front

Located on a hill, Beaumont-du-Périgord was an English bastide, founded in 1272 by Lucas de Thaney in the name of King Edward I, who granted a charter to the town in 1286. In 1289 he authorized the building of a market hall.

A city wall was built in 1320. The town was taken in 1442 by Pierre de Beaufort and Louis XI confirmed in 1461 the charter to the inhabitants. Besieged three times by the Huguenots in 1561, 1575 and 1576, the city was finally taken in February 1576, by the Protestants. After the peace treaty, the city returned to the Catholics but it was again besieged by the Huguenots in 1585.

The construction of the fortified church Saint-Laurent-et-Saint-Front began around 1330. The nave is about 52 metres long and 13.50 metres wide. It even had a well inside to supply the population, that took shelter here, with water. It survived the many wars of the centuries quite undamaged but in 1810 a part of the vault collapsed. In 1869 the walls got restored so that a brick arch vault could be installed.