I first discovered Brentom on a spring evening in 2010. That day I went to visit the north of the Dordogne and after visitingChateau de Pigme In the second half of the day, I looked for one more place to see, before returning to the house where I lived, which is not far from Montignac.
A very nice woman who worked at the tourist office in Villars, the owner of the Château des Pigmes, recommended that I visit Brantôme, which is about 15 km away. I took her recommendation, and after driving through pastoral fields, I arrived in Brantôme.
It was love at first sight!
The combination of the setting sun, over the walls of the impressive monastery, and the Dronne River, which lies at its foot, created a charming sight. Since night was already falling, I did not have enough time to visit the monastery itself and settled for a visit to the park and a short walk along the river. At that moment, I swore to myself that I would return there.
The opportunity to return to the “crime scene” came my way in September 2019. That year I was living near Sarla And I decided to head towards Brentwood, both because I missed this charming town and to finally meet you. Rotem Bar and her husband Uri, whom I knew before from Facebook.
It was great fun to meet two such lovely people and even greater fun to walk with them in Brenton and the Bordeille Castle, which is not far away. However, even that wasn't enough for me, so I decided that as soon as I could, I would return to Brenton to get to know it and its surroundings in depth.
3 years later and one Corona that prevented me from going there in the summer of 2021, I arrived, together with my parents, to Brentom for two whole weeks. Of course, a large part of the time we traveled to other places, which you can read about inPérigord page on the websiteHowever, I was able to spend quite a bit of time in Brentwood itself and learn about its history, markets, and restaurants.
I'm going to share everything I've learned with you, so let's get started.
The history of Brentom
Our story begins in the Holy Land, with a horrific massacre that may very well not have happened at all.
According to the Christian Bible, Herod heard that the Messiah was about to be born in Bethlehem. Because he did not want competition for power, he sent soldiers there and ordered them to kill all the children two years old and under. Although there is no reliable historical evidence for this massacre, according to Christian mythology, Herod's soldiers massacred the children, but were unable to kill Jesus, because Joseph, his father, fled with him to Egypt.
From this massacre, known as the Massacre of the Innocents, was born Saint Sicaire (in French: Saint Sicaire), whose remains would lead to the founding of the monastery of Brentum in the 8th century AD. But who was he?
One theory is that Saint Sicarius was one of the innocent children who were murdered on Herod's orders (and indeed, in quite a few paintings and stained glass windows, Sicarius is depicted as a small child). But then the question arises, which of the children was Sicarius and what makes him a saint? After all, as an infant, he did not have time to perform many miracles or spread Christianity, which did not yet exist in his time.
Another theory is that Sicarius means soldier, because Sica (Latin: Sica) is a dagger, which Herod's soldiers carried. Incidentally, the word Sicarii (or Sicarii) also came from the same word, Jewish extremists who rebelled against the Romans and also carried such a dagger. According to the theory, that soldier converted after seeing the massacre (and perhaps participating in it) and later converted to Christianity, thanks to which he became a saint.
In short, whether it was the child who was murdered or the soldier who murdered him, the remains of that saint reached Wisebode, Count of Périgord, who decided in 769 to establish a Benedictine monastery to house these remains. The monastery was built on a sort of continental shelf, between ancient caves and the river, but the saint's rights did not stand up to him and it was destroyed by the Vikings about a hundred years later.
During the 11th century, the monastery was rebuilt, and from it, against all odds, the bell tower has survived to this day, and it is considered the oldest of its kind. The monastery continued to develop over the years, being renovated and undergoing significant changes during the 15th century, when the cloister was built.
For those who don't know, the cloister is a square courtyard, surrounded on all four sides by arcades and in the center by a garden or paved plaza, and its purpose is to provide the monks with protection from the rain, while they are in the fresh air. Unfortunately, only the western part of this cloister remains, because during the 19th century, the architect Paul Abadie decided to demolish most of it, in order to provide the monastery with a view of the river.
But let us go back a little in time to the 16th century. Between the years 1559 and 1598, a severe religious war took place in France, intermittently, between Catholics and Protestants. During this war, the abbey of Brentom and the town around it were almost completely destroyed by the Admiral Gaspar de Coligny, the leader of the Protestants.
The one who managed to save the place and its people from death was certainly Pierre de Bourdeille (1540-1614), an adventurer and writer, who served as the abbot of Brentum. The aforementioned managed to endear himself to Coligny and to that end even agreed to temporarily adopt some of the principles of Protestantism. All this was enough for him to convince the admiral that nothing good would come of slaughtering the people of the place, and the aforementioned went to slaughter other people, who did not have Pierre de Bourdeille’s charm.
Later, after a fall from a horse, Pierre de Bourdais, nicknamed Brentum, after the monastery he ran, was forced to retire from the business of war and diplomacy and he spent his time writing his memoirs and becoming a famous author. His most famous book, “The Courtesans” (Les Dames Galantes), is a collection of amusing anecdotes about some of the most famous women in French history and, although it is not a history book par excellence, it is highly recommended reading (where, for example, you can read about The adultery affair that took place in the Nell Tower).
If we continue to travel through the spaces of time, we will discover that, as inSaint-Jean-de-Cole, which I wrote about earlier, not much happened here after the 16th century either. True, in the late 19th century a train passed through here, which was used by no less than a president France During World War I, Raymond Poincaré (1860-1934), the man who gave Brentom the nickname “Venice of Périgord.” However, the train has long since stopped passing through here and this charming town continues to slumber on the riverbank.
What is there to see and do in Brentham?
Brentom Abbey
This is, without a doubt, the main attraction of Brentom and is definitely worth visiting.
The visit begins in the caves located in the monastery courtyard. This is where the first monks prayed, starting in 769, and where they carved into the rock to create a number of impressive sculptures and works of art.
The largest and most beautiful work of all depicts the Day of Judgment and was created during the 15th century. If you look closely you can see that the people depicted there are dressed in period clothing and hence are based on people who lived in the area. Who were these people and why are they there? Unfortunately I have not been able to find any good answers to this question.
After you have finished visiting the caves, you will return to the entrance to the monastery and there you will climb the 17th century stone steps. Today the monastery building is mostly used as the residence of the municipality of Brentom, but you can visit the impressive staircase itself and one of the largest rooms in the monastery, which has been converted into a kind of museum, presenting changing exhibitions.
Once you have finished visiting this part of the monastery, you can go out and visit what remains of the cloister and the Gothic church, where you can see a statue depicting the Massacre of the Innocents. Also, from there you can climb the old bell tower (as mentioned, some say it is the oldest in France) and look out over Brentom from above.
By the way, while you're climbing the tower, don't miss the inscription on the wall left by a soldier stationed there during the 19th century. It's very interesting to read what he thought of his commander :-).
River cruise
Not far from the monastery, under the “elbow-shaped bridge” (Pont Coudé) leading to it, you can find a small riverboat, with which you can sail on the Drône River. It is a pleasant and relaxing experience and if you happen to be a speaker FrenchYou will hear stories from the guide about Rantum and the people who lived there.
Visiting the Brentom markets
Like any self-respecting French town, Brentom has a market that takes place every Friday (in the summer months there is also a smaller market that takes place on Tuesdays in the main square).
Although this market does not compete with the large markets of Serla and Perigeux, it has quite a bit of charm thanks to its location on the riverbank and the bridges, and thanks to the wonderful food that can be found there.
Another market that takes place in Brentom from time to time is the antiques market, also called Vide Grenier (literally: warehouse cleaning). If you like old books, early 20th century porcelain plates or vintage toys, there's a good chance you'll find a bargain or two here.
Since, unlike the weekly market, this market does not take place at fixed times, it is necessary to enterThis site, which contains information about all kinds of events happening in Brentom and the surrounding area, and see if such a market will be held when you visit there.
Recommended restaurants in Brentum (tips from Rotem Bar)
Because Rotem Bar not only lives in Brentwood (and has Unit (She rents it out to tourists) but also understands quite a bit about cooking, so it was only natural that I would let her write this chapter. So the floor goes to Rotem 🙂
Brentom is a town of about 2,500 people and has at least 32 restaurants. I haven't checked them all and I may be wrong about some of them. It's also possible that over time I'll find some more wonderful ones and update you.
Many of the restaurants in the Dordogne region incorporate the splendor of local creation into their menus, namely the duck and everything that can be made from its parts (confit, foie gras, magrera, which is the breast of the breve rite, and more), combined of course with truffles, porcini mushrooms, and lots of cream.
Faye Farm
One restaurant that does just that, professionally, is located on a farm near Brentom and takes you into the ultimate rural experience. It features a menu dedicated solely to duck and the rural customs involved in eating it.
You can occasionally see how the ducks are raised there. There is a shop selling duck products and other local delicacies, and in addition to the meal, you can sometimes join confit-making workshops.
The restaurant is not open all seasons of the year or all days of the week, and you must inquire with them and make a reservation in advance.
Link to the restaurant website
If you want a good dinner (or lunch) at a fair to moderate price in downtown Brentwood, I recommend two out of many, and the others aren't necessarily bad either.
Bistrot St Pierre
The first, Bistro St Pierre, where you sit in the courtyard overlooking the river in the summer, and it also includes ducks on the menu, but not only that. They have a selection of all kinds. Both meats and fish and seafood, and they change the menu every few weeks.
Address: 23 Rue Victor Hugo, 24310 Brantôme en Périgord
Amelie's table
Further down the same street, a pedestrian street Victor Hugo (But who?) There is the restaurant La Table d'Amelie or, if you prefer, "Emily's Table" in Hebrew. Here too, you sit on a nice terrace, but instead of a view of the river, they occasionally host singers and musicians for performances. The food is good, the cuisine is creative, and the variety is more international.
news: 28 Rue Victor Hugo
Restaurant website
The Garden of Chouchoux
The second, Le Jardin de Chochou, is also a not-so-cheap restaurant, its terrace is also beautiful and pleasant, and the owner speaks excellent English and is very nice. They will always try to accommodate your requests, whether it is a vegetarian dish or one without pork or seafood.
Address: 37 Rue Pierre de Mareuil
Link to the restaurant website
Cheap and tasty restaurants near Brantham
For the really cheap side of the scale, it's worth leaving Brentum for two slightly remote villages, although they're not really far away.
These are two restaurants for lunch, where the cooks are great and the owners are generous. A meal at such a restaurant is a meal where you sit down at the table and the food arrives. You can choose only the type of wine and change it with each refill, or the degree of roasting of the meat on the day when steaks are served.
The meal starts with soup, moves on to an appetizer, main course, and platter. Cheeses For dessert, a sweet dessert and coffee to finish. All this for €14 per diner. The two recommended restaurants are:
- Cafe De La Place – Address: 3 Rue Arnaud de Mareuil, 24350 Tocane-Saint-Apre
- Chez Marie (at Mary's) – Address: Restaurant chez Marie, 24350 Bussac.
Accommodation in Brentom
The town of Brentom is not only a charming place that definitely demands a visit, but also a great base for a trip to the northern Dordogne, Poitou region and Limousin.
Therefore, I highly recommend staying there for at least a few nights. My recommendation is between 5-7 nights, so that you can comfortably discover everything the area has to offer.
If you have accepted my advice, you are welcome to enter the article. Recommended hotels and apartments in Brentom and the surrounding area And find you a place to stay that suits your needs exactly.
Hi, this is the first significant article I found about Brentum, and for that I thank you.
Question: After a week in Sarla, is there any point in spending another week in the Brentwood area? If so, can you recommend additional sites to visit in the area?
Hello Audi,
There is definitely quite a bit to see if you spend time in Brentwood.
You can find more articles about places near Brentom, inThis page.