Saint Astier: 1000 years of history

Saint-Astier: a thousand years of history

Anne-Josette and Serge Avrilleau

It is a walk on the paths of time that offers you this complete monograph of the city of Saint-Astier. From prehistory to the Gallo-Roman period, then through the Middle Ages, we witness the evolution of this small city that is transformed over time. An excursion in the basement of the city to discover its cluzeaux, underground and crypt and here we are at the Wars of Religion and the Revolution of 1789. Thanks to this book, you will learn everything about the daily life of your ancestors, from rural life to quarrying. Here we are in the^{twentieth century,} but it is also the dark years of the Second World War and followed by the Liberation that punctuate this long and exciting history of this small town of the Périgord Blanc.

The two authors were born in Saint-Astier, attended primary school and lived through the end of the last war. They led the first Tourist Office. After secondary studies in Périgueux, Serge did his military service in Morocco and then practiced as a notary in Saint-Astier for 45 years.

Retired, he published the exhaustive inventory of the 1600 underground refuges of the Périgord and various archaeological articles. He is Honorary President of the Société Française d'Etude des Souterrains. He prepares an unusual Périgord. His wife, a specialist in gastronomy, is preparing a book on truffles. It took them several years to write this History of Saint-Astier.