Discover Les Arques

Les Arques offers several specific starting points for planning your trip: art at the Musée Zadkine, art-historical traces in two churches, trails near Ladoux, and recurring events organized by Les Ateliers des Arques. This lets you tailor your stay to different interests: works and artists, sacred art, a walking route, or seasonal cultural events.

Art at the Musée Zadkine

The Musée Zadkine was inaugurated in 1988 and displays important works by Ossip Zadkine in stone, wood, bronze, and terracotta, as well as lithographs and tapestries. The works therefore range from sculptures to graphic and textile media. This variety of forms provides a clear thread for exploring the art. Individual displays may change.

The museum also displays paintings by Valentine Prax. In addition to Zadkine’s works, the museum therefore includes works by another artist. For your own thematic perspective, you can consider artists’ names and media together: Zadkine’s works in several forms are displayed alongside one another, while Prax is represented by paintings. This makes it possible to explore the art in Les Arques through more than one material or genre.

Two churches, different historical periods

The Église Saint-Laurent brings together two facts from different years: it was classified as a Monument historique in 1952, and Ossip Zadkine’s sculptures Pietà and Christ were installed there in 1988. These dates relate to different aspects of the church—its historic designation and the installation of the sculptures. Keeping them distinct is helpful for context, as they do not describe a single event.

A different art-historical reference can be found in the Église St-André: the church has wall paintings that were probably created around 1480. “Probably” is part of the dating; it refers to an approximate period, not a confirmed exact year. Together with the sculptures installed at Saint-Laurent in 1988, this gives the art in the two churches different historical reference points. The wall paintings and sculptures each belong to a separate church.

Trails near Ladoux

The Circuit de Ladoux is 7 km long. As route details may be revised, check the information locally before setting out. Different landmarks are given for the Le Tour de Ladoux circular route: it starts in the center of Les Arques, goes to the Moulin d’Auricoste, and passes through the forests of Ladoux. The planning information therefore differs: the Circuit has a stated length, while the Tour has a starting point and route description. The 7 km distance refers to the Circuit de Ladoux.

Annual program and restaurant

Every year from March to June, Les Ateliers des Arques host artist residencies. There is also a collective outdoor exhibition every summer. The residencies and exhibition are different formats with their own time frames: one takes place in spring, the other in summer. If dates are important for planning your trip, check the specific dates for the year in question.

La Récréation is described as a restaurant serving inventive, varied cuisine that combines flavors and surprises from around the world. Restaurant details may change; check the latest information if you are planning a visit. This lets you consider the cultural program, art, and trails as different ways to spend your time in Les Arques, without conflating them into a single route or a year-round events program.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Matré, Mauroux, Montet-et-Bouxal, Sousceyrac, Montbrun, Marcilhac-Sur-Cele, Albas, Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie

For the broader travel overview: Lot.