©St Geniez d'Olt, Pont des marmots.|© B. Colomb Lozère Sauvage Pour Pact Aubrac

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Saint-Geniez-d’Olt, in the heart of the Lot Valley, is ideally situated between two natural regions: the Grands Causses to the south and the Monts d’Aubrac to the north. The“city of marmots” boasts a rich heritage, and has preserved the memory of its prestigious past, linked to drapery and strawberry growing. In the Age of Enlightenment, the town welcomed philosophers, thinkers and writers… Saint Geniez d’Olt maintains this cultural vocation throughout the year, offering a wide range of events including concerts, shows, festivals and markets… The town is also an essential base for outdoor activities: climbing, fishing, horse riding, hiking, scootering, canoeing, accrobranche, mountain biking…

Getting there

St Geniez d'Olt, Lot valley Aveyron. — ©Village of Saint Geniez d'Olt.|© B. Colomb Lozère Sauvage Pour Pact Aubrac

©Estive St Geniez d'Olt, cows on the bridge.|© B. Colomb Lozère Sauvage Pour Pact Aubrac

Saint-Geniez-d’Olt

Heritage and tradition

The town has preserved traces of its history, and you’ll discover an exceptional heritage: private mansions, a parish church listed as a Historic Monument, which was originally the chapel of the Château de Saint Geniez d’Olt, a powerful fortress controlling the passage of the Lot and around which the town grew. You can also visit the Monastère et Cloître des Augustins (Augustins Monastery and Cloister), listed as a Historic Monument. The town has also preserved its ancestral traditions, such as the Transhumance festival.

Fête estive Saint Geniez Aveyron. — ©Fête de l'estive sur le pont des marmots.|© B. Colomb Lozère Sauvage Pour Pact Aubrac

Le Talabot

View of Saint-Geniez-d’Olt

Marie Savry, a poor, orphaned girl from Saint Geniez d’Olt, decided to try her luck in Montpellier. She used a formidable weapon – her beauty – to seduce, then marry, a wealthy engineer Paulin Talabot of the PLM company. On her return home, she was greeted with derision and decided that, after her death, she would dominate the village that had humiliated her. So she had her monument built on the highest point of the village: the“Talabot“. Whether the story is true or false, climbing up to the monument gives you a unique view of the town, the Lot and the Pont des Marmots.

Talabot saint geniez d'olt — ©Talabot Saint Geniez d'Olt.

pont des marmots st geniez d'olt — ©Le Pont des marmots in Saint-Geniez-d'Olt

The legend of the marmots

of Saint-Geniez-d’Olt

The story goes that “in Saint Geniez d’Olt, at the end of the 15th century, there lived a sinner whose children had captured a marmot. One stormy afternoon, the little animal fled in fright. The two children set off in search of it, but a violent storm broke out, drowning the valley in a veritable deluge. When they returned, several houses, including their own, had been swept away. Their lives had been spared thanks to the marmot‘s escape. They became known as the “Marmots”. This name was later given to all the inhabitants of Saint Gêniez d’Olt. A statue telling the story of the Marmots stands on the old bridge in the heart of the town.