Things to see in Auch

Auch’s historic centre occupies a hill above the Gers, with the Pyrenees beyond. Its streets bring together medieval houses, a major cathedral and formal 18th-century civic architecture. Steep stepped lanes and the Monumental Staircase connect the upper town with the river and lower districts.

The cathedral quarter

Cathédrale Sainte-Marie dominates the upper town. Built between 1489 and 1680 in the Flamboyant Gothic style, it lies on one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela. Two towers, each 44 metres high, frame the façade. The interior contains 18 stained-glass windows from the 16th century and 113 choir stalls decorated with around 1,500 carved figures. Together they form the cathedral’s richest concentration of imagery.

Nearby, the former archiepiscopal palace occupies the site of its medieval predecessor but belongs to a much later period. Completed in 1775, it has a classical composition of fluted pilasters, Corinthian capitals and a substantial entrance with Ionic columns. The contrast with the cathedral is a concise introduction to the two main architectural periods visible in central Auch.

The 40-metre Tour d’Armagnac rises on the same hill. It was built in the 14th century as a prison, although for much of its history it stored religious archives instead. Ten cells survive: the lower ones are vaulted, while those above occupy separate levels of the tower.

Medieval houses and pousterles

Maison Henri IV is a timber-framed medieval house arranged around a small accessible courtyard. Its principal feature is a three-storey staircase of wood and stone, left open to the courtyard. Maison Fedel, another of Auch’s oldest houses, places its timber structure over a stone ground floor once used by merchants. Flat bricks set into mortar create geometric patterns across the façade.

The city’s pousterles are narrow, steep lanes fitted with steps. Five survive around the historic centre. They once linked the upper town to the river below and provided a direct route for water carriers. Their gradients make the difference in height between the two parts of Auch immediately apparent.

The Monumental Staircase and civic Auch

The Monumental Staircase was completed in 1863 to connect the old centre with the newer town below. It climbs 35 metres in 234 steps. A statue of d’Artagnan, erected in 1931 in honour of the celebrated musketeer from the region, occupies the first landing. Other levels contain sculptures and the ground-level work known as the Observatoire du Temps, with views extending over the Gers valley.

Facing the cathedral, Auch’s Hôtel de Ville dates from 1777. Its scale reflected the political and intellectual ambitions of the city at the time. An Italianate theatre was included in the original design and preserves its 18th-century character.

Collections and green space

The Musée des Jacobins covers several periods and cultures. The collections range from pre-Columbian art and Egyptian antiquity to Gallo-Roman and medieval archaeology. A further section examines the popular arts and traditions of 19th-century Gascony, giving the museum a direct connection to its regional setting.

At the foot of the city, Parc du Couloumé covers five hectares around a 16th-century château. Laid out as an English-style landscape park, it provides an open view back towards the cathedral and the historic centre on the hill.