Villeréal is a chief town of its district comprising 13 municipalities located along the Dordogne in the Perigord Vert.

Hilly country, green and sunny slopes of the High Agen, Villeréal is located in the rich valley of the Dropt River, which crosses several Bastide: English ones such as Beaumont and Monpazier on the right bank and French ones as Villeréal or Castillonnes on the left bank.

The creation of Bastides is explained by the high population growth in the late 12th century. Their plan was defined in the Charter of customs and consists of a central place most often surrounded by angles or arches and a straight street layout.
In 1265, Gaston Gontaud-Biron was forced to sell its land Montlabour to Count Alphonse de Poitiers brother of St. Louis who built the French Bastide Villeréal.
8 main streets will intersect at right angles. Hall of vast proportions and with a mud floor, will be located on the central square in the late 14th century. It is based on oak pillars soaked about 30 years in the Dropt and sides 30 meters.
The arcades surrounding the square of the hall included a dozen cafes called « estaminets ». Some were specialized in « four hours » which were real foodies meetings. You could enjoy grilled eel, in a stew, veal belly, snails filled with country ham, quail with grapes, frog legs, crayfish, all washed down with the most popular wines in the country.

The church, real fortress, was built at the same time as the Bastide between 1265 and 1269. His two square towers are lit by loopholes and connected by a walkway. It answered two vocations: Shrine and ultimate refuge. It was surrounded by a deep ditch and we had to cross a drawbridge to enter.

Villeréal the fortress which was never fitted with ramparts. It was surrounded by a moat of 7 meters wide filled in the 18th century. These ditches occupied the location of the outer boulevards.
The city was occupied by the English during 174 years at the end of the Hundred Years War, from 1279 to 1453.