L'Escalier Monumental & Statue of d'Artagnan
A cascade of 370 stone steps links the medieval upper town to the riverbank below, punctuated by a terrace where a bronze d'Artagnan — the real Gascon musketeer who inspired Dumas — stands sword in hand, surveying his homeland with magnificent swagger. The staircase itself is the best vantage point in Auch, framing the cathedral towers above and the Gers river below in a single glance.
The Staircase & Its History
Built in stages from the 17th century onwards, the Escalier Monumental was designed to give pilgrims on the Way of Saint James a ceremonial descent from the cathedral quarter to the river crossing below.
Each landing offers a slightly different angle on the old town's tightly packed ochre facades and the cathedral's soaring apse — bring a wide-angle lens if you shoot with a camera.
The staircase is fully open and free at all hours; it is especially atmospheric at dusk when the town's warm stone glows golden and the swallows swoop overhead.
The Real d'Artagnan
Charles de Batz-Castelmore, born around 1611 in the Gers, was the historical inspiration for Dumas's fictional hero. He rose to become a captain of the Musketeers of the Guard under Louis XIV and died at the Siege of Maastricht in 1673.
The bronze statue by Eugène Dïetrich was erected in 1931 and has become the city's most photographed landmark; locals leave flowers at its base on Gascon heritage days.
From the statue's terrace, look south along the Gers river at golden hour for one of the most photogenic views in the entire Occitanie region.
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