BALADE BUISSONNIERE ELUSATE

Eauze, a town of more than 4,000 inhabitants, had to make a walk on the theme of water: source of life. They took up residence at the Esbérous oppidum between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, as well as on the Taste and Cieutat plateaus. Departure : the tour starts from the St Luperc church called cathedral, the first church of Armagnac, of flamboyant gothic style, built by the prior Jean Marre, on the site of the old Romanesque church, dominating the city. This square remained the gathering place of my community Elusate until the 18th century around the well, the elm tree, the common house, the church The enclosure, visible from the northwest, dates back to at least the 15th century. It is protected by ditches filled with water. Unfortunately, these have been filled in. Place d'Armagnac, the tourist office is a typical building with its half-timbered façade and St. Andrew's cross. From there, take the covered passage on your left and you will find the sign and the starting point N°1. Turn left, you are in a shopping street called rue Robert Daury (former mayor). Go down this street to cross the Bd Charles de Gaulle lined with plane trees. Take the street that goes up, called "Avenue des Pyrénées". Go in front of the Imperial Water Tower (N°2) on the left, slightly set back from the road. The first modern water tower, supplied with water from the Lauron spring by a ram (hydraulic system), was built in France during the Second Empire, in 1870, by Henri de Sardac. Note the elegance of the façade, the door surmounted by sculptures representing a jar, a ram and a motto. This stone building retains its country side where wild plants accumulate in the interstices and invite you to walk along this vaulted structure. After the phone booth, you will turn left to take the Beausoleil street, you will cross a pleasant district, created in the years 50/60, located on a small hill, marked out by pretty houses with gardens. You will then start a descent (follow the wooden fences lined with prunus, to find yourself in the Rue des Fleurs, in front of you the Beausoleil school). You go along the fence to reach the sports buildings and turn right, and take this small white path to go down to the school (N°3). You pass near a small stream called "Bugau" which is often dry except on stormy days. Follow the path on the left side, passing under the trees, oaks, lime trees, plane trees and you will arrive on the Avenue d'Ampuero in front of the Nimeno II bullring of Eauze (N°4). The bullring is of Andalusian style. It has a capacity for 4,000 people and dates back to 1982. The stands are decorated with bricks and ironwork corresponding to the different bullfighting farms that are produced there, called ganaderias in Spanish. You go along the bullring of Eauze, turn right and come to a small asphalt road. Go back to the right and you pass behind a supermarket, along the storm water basin (water reserve for fire). Continue and turn left and follow the Rue Camarade to reach the allée Julien Laudet, pass the agricultural cooperative Why Camarade? What does it mean? It comes from the word "camarata" which means tollgate of the entrance of a territory. This is a Roman road near the Gélise River at the Gué du Martir. Go down the street to the right. We cross a much wetter area, with regard to the vegetation. Pass under the railroad bridge. On your left, you will see a very beautiful stone building (N°5), it sheltered the hydraulic pumps used for the activity of the trains, note that the old SNCF station is with some steps. Arrival on the ponds of Camarade with in withdrawal of the poplars the old wash-house, symbol of a former time. As the Gers writer Yvette Durand quoted: "Washing was the pretext for women's meetings who went in groups to the Andriouette". That is to say, the pond at the bottom of the woods, fed by the many small streams that flowed there, water reputed to rinse the laundry (previously boiled with ashes and soapwort). The laundry, considered a ceremony, was celebrated every three months. It involved one or two teams of cows to transport the laundry, which was then put to dry in the meadows, spread out on the grass. Arrival at the wash house of Camarde N°6 : The commune has several of them, this one is of great size. It could accommodate up to ten washerwomen. The plan and the estimate were drawn up by Mr. Seris and adopted by the town council in 1863. The access is done by a small stone staircase below and one feels immediately this notion of freshness. Stones and terracotta tiles, ironworks are the major elements of the building. Go past the wash house and take the small path on the left which overlooks the 2 ponds, in the early morning you may have the chance to discover some carps and maybe cistudes, European turtles, see some ducks, green collars or even herons. You climb the embankment on your left with the help of the blue ropes. For the more curious, you can go straight ahead and discover a small bridge and a little further on an old water mill in an environment of winter petasites, scolopendre ferns and charcoal. After this escapade you go back and climb the embankment with the help of ropes, you continue for 50 meters to the right and go along the Château Cieutat. Along the pole grill Château de Cieutat : remarkable for its very beautiful facade, its beauty lies in its simplicity only enhanced by a very beautiful ironwork Variant : When you arrive at the fence of the Domus, turn left and continue along the fence. You arrive at the old railroad and then at the Domus that you can visit otherwise you return towards the city center by the Avenue Julien Laudet by skirting the municipal stadium, you turn to the left to go up the Avenue de la Ténarèze. You discover on your left the archaeological excavations of the Domus d?Elusa, which you follow for 100m. You continue on the Chemin du Château and end up at the shopping center and turn left. Go up the rue de la Ténarèze to arrive at the intersection of the road to Lannepax and Vic-Fezensac. Cross the Bd St-Blancat and continue straight ahead. Go up the rue St-July, pass in front of an old public well and then reach the place de la Cathédrale where you will enjoy resting from this walk on our territory, in the shade of the young elm tree. The pedestrian square was recently completed as part of the urban renewal process to regain its vocation as a quiet area revealing the beauty of the cathedral square. The weekly market is still held there every Thursday, all year round, and it gathers numerous exhibitors, summer and winter At the end of the tour, we hope that the charm will have worked and that you will have the pleasure of returning to stroll through the elected territory which has not finished revealing its history.