Step into Rue Munz, just to your left, and you’ll soon arrive at the Cour des Fontaines — a peaceful spot deeply tied to Sarlat’s very beginnings. It was here, around a natural spring, that Benedictine monks chose to found their abbey in the 9th century. Water was essential to life, and it was this spring that determined where the town would grow. For centuries, the fountain was strictly reserved for the monks. From the 12th to the 17th century, only members of the monastery were allowed to draw water here — ordinary townsfolk were forbidden. Yet the spring’s water was prized for its purity. Things changed in the 15th century, when Sarlat’s main cemetery was moved behind the cathedral. Underground seepage soon contaminated the spring, making the water undrinkable. It wasn’t until the late 18th century, when the cemetery was finally relocated outside the town walls, that the spring was restored to health. The courtyard you see today is a precious remnant of the old abbey complex. It once formed part of the monastic grounds, along with the cloister courtyard and the canons’ courtyard. Carefully restored in the 1980s, it has kept its quiet, timeless charm — a place where you can almost feel the echo of monastic life that once filled these walls. Continue straight ahead and you’ll come to the Cour des Chanoines just beyond, before retracing your steps to carry on with your visit toward the next stop.