Cahors

Cahors was founded as Divona Cadurcorum in the 1st century AD when Emperor Augustus established the city to administer the territory of the Cadurci, a Celtic people of Gaul. The Roman city was equipped with thermal baths, an amphitheater, temples, and mosaic-adorned houses, much of which remains buried beneath the modern town. Visible Roman vestiges include the Arch of Diana, originally part of the Roman baths. The medieval city flourished as a banking center and preserves the fortified Pont Valentre and Saint-Etienne Cathedral, both linked by the UNESCO-listed Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.