Langes Square

Next stop on Rue Victor Hugo is Langes Square. It’s the small square to your right, just behind the town hall. It used to be the private garden and orangery of the Lubières family mansion, before it became the town hall we see today. Three wealthy local entrepreneurs offered to pay for the construction of a square for local merchants, in exchange for 10 years’ rental income. A well thought-out deal that was approved by the town council. The name “Langes” was that borne by the lord of Lubières, the owner of the mansion. But some say it actually comes from an old inn that stood at the end of the street in the 15th century – its sign featured an angel, “ange” in French, which the locals playfully shortened to “langes.” The name stuck, however, and by the 18th century, the whole district was known as “Langes”. Continue straight ahead until you reach Rue Notre-Dame, which will take you straight to the cathedral.