IMonpazier and Belvès are two of many well preserved medieval towns, better known as Bastides. Bastides are "modern" towns
in what was, at the time, a rather wild and inhospitable part of Europe. The establishment of bastides was a way for rulers to bring the population together in centres which could be more easily controlled and defended than isolated farmsteads or hovels, while helping to develop trade and other activities associated with the town. The bastides, by promoting economic activity, also allowed the lords who founded them to raise more taxes, while ensuring a better standard of living - and also more importantly the status of freemen rather than serfs - for the people who moved into them.
The bastide of Belvès
Most bastides are laid out on a grid pattern, with a central square. The grid pattern may have been inspired by the model of the roman "castrum".
The central square of a bastide is generally surrounded by arcades; the central square served as the commercial hub and market place, and was sometimes equipped with a covered market hall.
The arcades of Monpazier
The covered market "les Halles" of Belvès
Many of the Bastides have fortifications, towers, walls and gates to protect them from intruders and invaders.
No comments:
Post a Comment