Its history goes back well over a thousand years to the foundation of a Benedictine house, which gave rise to a settlement that grew and prospered along with the abbey. By the 13th-14th C., Figeac was a thriving centre of trade and commerce, whose rich merchants were to be found all over Europe and around the Mediterranean. Naturally, these wealthy families built houses which reflected their social position by their size and the beauty of their façades; and the fact that the town is situated in the Limargue meant that high-quality, fine-grained sandstone was readily available from local quarries. This enabled some of the most ornately-decorated private houses in the Lot to be constructed here; many of which still remain for the greater pleasure of residents and visitors alike, as do more modest buildings which speak equally eloquently of the lives and occupations of their former inhabitants. A stroll around the old town is at once a delight and an education.