Béduer
The Vía Podiensis
Beduer sits on a rocky outcrop where the causse drops into the valley of the River Cele, about 12 km from Figeac. It's a small village of about 700 people, but it punches above its weight in history.
The Chateau de Beduer dominates the village from its perch. The rectangular keep, 25 m tall with 2-meter-thick walls, dates to 1204. The first authenticated mention of the castle is from 1098, when the Seigneur de Beduer departed for the First Crusade. In 1277, the lords of Beduer granted their people one of the earliest charters in France loosening the feudal system.
During World War II, the castle played an extraordinary secret role. In 1941, the French national film archives were transported here and hidden in the oubliette beneath the chapel. They were catalogued by Lotte Eisner, a Jewish German film historian living under a false identity, who narrowly escaped capture in 1944. The archives remained hidden until their repatriation to Paris in 1946.
Services are limited: a bar that sells bread, pilgrim gites including Le Bedigas on the GR65, and chambres d'hotes. No supermarket. This is the last place to resupply before the causse crossing.
The Barasc family controlled Beduer from at least 1098, when a Seigneur de Beduer joined the First Crusade. They built the current keep in 1204 and in 1277 granted their subjects one of France's earliest charters relaxing the feudal system. During the Hundred Years' War, the Barascs led campaigns against the English garrison at Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and defended Cahors against Edward the Black Prince. The last Barasc, Deodat VIII, died in 1559.
In 1939, the castle was sold to Jeanne Loviton, a Parisian writer known by her pen name Jean Voilier. Two years later, the French film archives were secretly transported here for safekeeping during the Occupation. The castle was classified as a Historic Monument in 1973.
Accommodation in Béduer.
| Gîte et chambre d’hôtes La Soursounette 17€ 5 |
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| Gîte d´étape Transhumance 46 18€ 8 |
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