Saint Pé Saint Simon

Saint Pé Saint Simon is a naturally diverse area: to the east and south lies the Gélise valley with its limestone cliffs, already in the Gers department. To the west and north, the dark green of the pine trees marks the beginning of the Landes forest. It has a central plateau, where meadows, vineyards, cornfields, and groves alternate. Away from the main roads, the commune of St-Pé-St-Simon offers visitors a varied landscape that mixed farming and small-scale farms have preserved from the damage caused by intensive agriculture.

The local economy is based on wine growing, which produces the renowned Ténarèze Armagnac and its derivative, the famous Floc de Gascogne. Other areas of development include livestock farming, corn and sunflower production, and more recently asparagus, whose quality is enhanced by the sandy soil.

Farm produce is abundant, and you can still buy free-range chickens and preserves made from ducks raised in the traditional way. A stroll through the pine trees may reveal a few old conifers bearing traces of an activity that has now disappeared: resin tapping.

The history of the village dates back to ancient times, and the cave dwellings carved into the soft rock of the cliffs bordering the Gélise River bear witness to very ancient occupation at the sites of Peyré de St-Michel and Pont-Neuf. The 12th-century village church is worth visiting, as is the St-Pierre fountain.

Don't leave without visiting the old fortified church of St-Simon, a true gem of medieval art. This church is in serious disrepair. A restoration project is underway with the help of an association calledAPRES(Association Pour la Restauration de l'Eglise de St Simon).