Dausse Between Heritage and Landscape

Dausse brings together Notre-Dame Church, the castle complex of Puycalvary and Agen prunes. Building history, agriculture and hiking give the area a range of points of interest. This provides concrete topics to consider when planning your trip: the interior of Notre-Dame, the history of Puycalvary and two hikes with different destinations.

Notre-Dame: Paintings and Building History

Inside Notre-Dame Church, painted ornamentation adorns the capitals, keystones and arcades. Capitals are the uppermost parts of columns; keystones sit at the crown of an arch or vault, and arcades are arched openings. The church’s painted interior decoration was completed by Henry Lefai in 1957. A second design by architect Alban Delsol was drawn up in 1878 for the church’s reconstruction.

Puycalvary: Castle Complex, Chapel and Landscape

The castle complex of Puycalvary is referred to in French as a “cassel” and was first mentioned in 1288. The Château de Puycalvary stands atop a steep slope and overlooks the Boudouyssou Valley to the south. The limestone Pech of Puycalvary rises to a height of over 200 metres. These details draw attention both to the historic castle complex and to the striking landscape.

Another historical point of interest is the seigneurial chapel of Puycalvary, which was consecrated on 17 April 1536. Together with the castle complex’s first recorded mention in 1288, this offers a glimpse into the history of two distinct buildings.

Plum Growing and Archaeological Traces

Ente plums grow on the slopes in orchards intended for the production of Agen prunes. Alongside the area’s building history, this provides an agricultural connection between the local slopes and a specific product.

Archaeology is also part of Dausse’s story: the archaeological remains of Paganel are considered similar to those of Lamouroux. They offer a different historical point of interest from the surviving information about the church and castle complex.

Hiking: Two Destinations, Different Details

The GR 652 hiking section from Dausse to Penne-d'Agenais is 9 kilometres long. Check the route conditions and trail markings before setting out. The stated distance helps you assess this section as a specific hiking option.

Another hike goes from Dausse to Puycalvary via Pechagudel. A holm oak stands beside the route. A route description from 2024 gives the tree’s trunk circumference as more than four metres and estimates its age at around 200 to 250 years. The 2024 route description notes that the tree’s condition may change.

The two hikes can be distinguished by their destinations: the 9-kilometre GR 652 stage leads to Penne-d'Agenais, while the other route goes to Puycalvary via Pechagudel. This lets you identify each route by its destination rather than treating them as the same hike.

Things to Focus on During Your Stay

If you’re looking for hotels in Dausse, choosing a theme can be a good starting point: consider whether you’d like your stay to focus on historic buildings or one of the hikes described here. The area’s history, plum growing and varied hiking destinations offer concrete points of interest.

Discover more destinations: Villeréal, Saint-Pierre-Sur-Dropt, Vianne, Baleyssagues, Trémons, Prayssas, Caumont-Sur-Garonne, Allemans-du-Dropt

For the regional travel overview: Lot Et Garonne.