Village of Simorre

A charming village, with its fortified church, its old central market hall, its museum, its half-timbered and corbelled houses, its foirail and shady squares that invite you to visit. Simorre surprises and amazes.
The atmosphere of this small village is pleasant, as well as the musical and convivial nights on the square in front of the Bouche à Oreille.

A bit of History: The village with its picturesque alleys is particularly surprising for its impressive fortified church that rises between the roofs of houses and gives the impression of taking a journey into the heart of the Middle Ages. After a devastating fire in 1141, the village, formerly capital of Astarac, is rebuilt all around the abbey and the whole fortified in the 12th century. To resist the Count of Astarac, the abbots constantly improve their abbey which will be endowed with a cloister, an octagonal bell tower then extended to the west.

The city of Siabais has 2 churches.
The Abbey Church, architectural jewels: A masterpiece of brick lost in the Astarac of stone. Dedicated to Our Lady, it was erected on the site of the previous church which extended perhaps further towards the west because work carried out in 1900 brought to light the remains of construction in the extension of the current nave.
Major restoration work was carried out between 1844 and 1858 under the direction of Viollet-le-Duc. The roof, which covered the walls was lowered so as to rest directly on the vaults and a crenellation was established around the building.

The second church is that of Saint Valentin of Baillasbats. Baillasbats was an old commune which was attached to Siabais in 1838. It is dedicated to Saint Valentine, the patron of winemakers. It is a rural church, very little influenced by external artistic currents. It is built by builders with materials extracted on site. The economy of the parish was essentially based on the vine. In 1590 a vine is bequeathed to the brotherhood of Saint Valentine under the condition that the wine produced be drunk by its members on Saint Valentine’s Day. Following abuses that occurred during these wine-sharing transactions, the Archbishop of Auch decided in 1673 that the money derived from the product of the vine would be used for the maintenance of the vineyard.

Another important religious monument, the chapel of Saintes. In 1680, there was a small church in Saintes. In 1793, the church and the chapel were destroyed. Faced with the growing influx of pilgrims coming from the valley of the Gimone, from Saint Bertrand du Comminges etc., it was decided to rebuild a chapel. In 1844, the new chapel is blessed. Around 1900, the church of Saintes and the adjoining presbytery were again destroyed. The chapel contains the tomb of Saint Cerat. Saint Cerat is one of the first apostles to have evangelized the country. Towards the end of his life, he retreats to a forest north of Sidéclarant. It is at this moment that miracles begin (miraculous cures, resurrection of a dead person,...). Saint Cerate died in Saintes. He was transported in a marble coffin to the church of Saint Andrew. This church was originally located at the cemetery of Siéchapper. She then fell into ruin. The monks therefore brought back the body of Saint Cerate to Saintes. It was placed near the fountain. The water passing through this relic becomes a remedy for the sick.

Silows has a washhouse built in 1951 as a measure of health and progress. Until that date, laundry was done directly by the river on a washboard.

The municipality has a rich natural heritage, with the presence of a Natura 2000 site "La vallée et coteaux de la Lauze" and 4 ZNIEFF, two type 2 and 2 type 1.

"Siéchapper, slow and committed municipality! It belongs to the national label network Cittaslow"