SAINT-CLAR

is a Bastide. Before the thirteenth century, the south-west of France was virtually uninhabited. Then it was competitively colonised by soldiers belonging the the King of France, the King of England and, for Heaven's sake, the Pope. A Bastide has a lot in common with a Roman camp; square, walled, the streets in a grid pattern, and at the centre an open square with church and market hall. Saint-Clar is unusual in having two squares. As in all bastides, the houses round the square overhang a shady arcade, which is pretty much where everybody lives in the summer.

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Many of the Bastides are in the GERS department; for photos see

https://www.franceinpictures.com/
32%20Gers.html