Sainte Orse
The beautiful old houses of this village are grouped around two squares, true centres of everyday life: The Mayor‘s Office and the church. The impressive Roman church dating from the 12th century, with its sarcophagus dating from the Mérovée dynasty, is registered as a Historical Monument.
Two castles face each other from their respective rocky outcroppings: the larger one, the Sainte Orse castle, overlooks the Soue valley; the smaller one, the La Salle castle, was renovated into a mansion in the 18th century.
The hollow of the dale where the Soue meanders offers you an exceptional point of view of the village. You will also be able to see the ancient washhouse, an essential vestige which evokes the rural activity that reigned here not so long ago. Numerous hamlets and a great number of castles are to be found on the wooded hills around Saint Orse. These old, well-to-do rural residences, with their special architectural character dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, have been protected against the ravages of badly adapted modernism.
Along the shady little roads you can discover hidden glories:
- The castle of Elisabeth Jouffre De La Faye, the wife of Maréchal Bugeaud at the hamlet of La Faye.
- The keepsake of Georges De Peyrebrune, a feminist writer known for her finest hour in the 19th century, at Peyrebrune.
- Everywhere there is evidence of a rich patrimony: washhouses, crosses, pigeon towers, stone huts, bread ovens…
If 
you enjoy prehistory, you should know that Saint Orse was occupied by humans during prehistoric times, and that evidence of that ancient life still subsists today:
- Stones that are believed to have been involved in rituals probably dating from the Celtic civilisation remain. The best-known stone of this nature is to be found at Peyrebrune.
- You can find a few Cromlechs and Menhirs at Saint Orse. Their historic documents are available at the Mayor’s office.
- The historic documents pertaining to these sites are available at the Mayor's office.
Amateur hikers, you will also be in your element: numerous rural trails await your passage.
