A route in the heart of the village will allow you to cross the Vendinelle via the Pont-vieux, a 15th century structure from which a toll was collected, and to discover the classified windows of the flamboyant Gothic style of the Sarda de Caumont House, an outbuilding of the old castle.A former Gallo-Roman villa, Auriac sur Vendinelle is a picturesque village that was built around its castle in the 11th century. Its religious heritage is quite atypical. The square bell tower of the Sainte Marie Madeleine church is indeed the former keep of the fortress castle. The listed chapel of Noumérens, in Romanesque style, contains a fragment of an 8th century sarcophagus containing a chrism and a rosette, symbols of the early Christian Church.The village of Auriac-sur-Vendinelle was founded by the Roman owner of this land. In fact, there was a Roman villa roughly on the site of the place known as La Durande (to the south-east of today's village). This villa, the first sign of organised settlement in Auriac, probably belonged to a local lord named Aurius, who gave his name to the village.
The oldest textual reference to Auriacum dates back to the 11th century. It tells us of a castle, owned by several lords, protecting a ford. A ford is a place on a river where it is possible to cross on foot. The ford at Auriac was an important ford on a busy trade route. It was the crossing point for the vendinelle on the road from Toulouse to Revel, via Caraman. The town's golden age came at the end of the Middle Ages. It was elevated to the rank of barony at this time, under the county of Caraman.
But the town's destiny was to be turned upside down in the 16th century, and on several occasions. Auriac suffered greatly during the Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics. In 1563, Protestants from Puylaurens attacked Auriac and pillaged the town and its inhabitants. This was a major blow for the people of Auriac. In 1568, having barely recovered from this first raid, the town was once again attacked by Huguenots. This time, an army of more than 1,000 men attacked Caraman and all the churches in the county. And again in 1570, this time to establish a more permanent presence. Fortunately, this time the inhabitants had been warned and were able to evacuate the town.
This time, the town definitively went over to the Protestant side, although the inhabitants tended to be Catholic, and a few years of appeasement were in prospect. Until 1591, when Catholic troops attacked the county of Caraman and Auriac. They came from Joyeuse and ravaged the town, its houses, its castle and ... its archives. Returned to the Catholic fold in 1622, the castle was destroyed stone by stone in 1625 by order of the King. All that remains of this building is its keep, which today serves as the bell tower of Sainte-Madeleine church.
It wasn't until the 19th century that the village rose from the ashes. Thanks to the development of wheat growing, Avignonet and the Lauragais region enjoyed another golden age. Developments in farming techniques transformed the region into the "granary of Toulouse". It was during this period that the village hall, which you can still admire today, was built. It was also at this time that the Rue Major was lined with shops to enable the new influx of inhabitants to live in Auriac.
The town's population reached 2,000 by the end of the 19th century.
A symbol of this revival, the famous "little black train", a railway line linking Toulouse to Revel in the heart of the Lauragais region, passed through Auriac as soon as it opened in 1906. A real link between the villages of the region, this train transported not only passengers, but also local agricultural produce. Used extensively by the local population, it had a lasting impact on everyday life in the village. Even today, the old station, close to the football pitch, is a reminder of a time when the railway contributed to the dynamism and openness of the Lauragais region to neighbouring towns.
Today, Auriac-sur-Vendinelle is a thriving, lively town (the link with the vendinelle was added in 1927 to distinguish it from the 8 other towns with the same name in France), and a great place to live. The market is held here on Tuesdays, and many events enliven local life, such as the Festival des Ruelles at the beginning of May.
You can also stock up on regional products in the "Les moulins de Perrine" shop, located just outside the village.
A little further on, the chapel of Noumérens is a little jewel of Romanesque art well worth a visit.
