Statue of La Boétie

You’re now standing on Place de la Grande Rigaudie — a broad, open square that marks the meeting point between Sarlat’s medieval heart and its more modern side. At the far end, on your left, stands the courthouse, built in 1866 by architect Auguste Dubet in a stately neoclassical style. Its grand staircase and triangular pediment give it a solemn dignity, reflecting the importance that justice once held in the civic life of Sarlat. Just in front of it stands the bust of Gabriel Tarde, born here in Sarlat in 1843. Tarde was both a magistrate and an extraordinary thinker — a true pioneer of modern sociology whose ideas deeply shaped the study of social psychology. In criminology, he challenged the biological theories of Lombroso, arguing instead that criminal behaviour was not innate but influenced by one’s social environment. Though his work was largely forgotten for a time, it has since been rediscovered and recognised as a cornerstone of several modern disciplines. At the centre of the square, you’ll notice the statue of Étienne de La Boétie, inaugurated in 1892. Sculpted by Tony Noël, it shows the humanist philosopher in a reflective pose, as if lost in thought — a fitting tribute to his enduring intellect and friendship with Montaigne. Place de la Grande Rigaudie is both a place of passage and of memory, where the themes of justice, humanist thought, and urban modernity come together in perfect balance.