Four kilometres from Bergerac, the commune of Lembras
stretches along the N21 national road. By virtue of its
location it is easy for locals to work in town, and Lembras’
proximity to the main local centre of employment - Bergerac -
accounts for its increasingly residential character. However,
its population of 1263 is well provided for by local shops and
services.
Lembras has a
surface area of 1059 hectares which is bordered by the Caudeau
Valley to the south and which stretches out to a heavily
forested and undulating plateau to the north-east. This is an
agricultural commune with a
predominance of
‘appellation contrôlée’ vineyards (Bergerac and Pécharmant).
Lembras’ logo
was created in 1992 using dominant Lembras motifs : the 17th
century church, the vineyards and forests and the two rivers -
the Caudeau and the Vergt - which irrigate the land.
A Brief History
The name ‘Lembras’ (Grangia de Lembraco) appears for the first
time in a 12th century terrier (a terrier being a register of
the members of a diocese).
The Order of
the Hospitalers of St John of Jerusalem - later to become the
Order of Malta - placed Lembras under the protection of St
John the Baptist and built a fortress at Ribeyrie.
The three-walled castle was built in 1113 with, at its prow,
the Cyrano tower which stands to this day. Richard the
Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Aquitaine, had the
fortress destroyed c.1198 but the tower still stands as
evidence of the commune’s distant past at the Queyssac-Greloux
crossroads.
Merovingian
tombs have also been discovered in the same sector of La
Ribeyrie.
Text translated by Pays du Grand Bergeracois (professional translator).
