Colorful half-timbered houses, charming alleys, church and square of character make all the charm of this typical village near the lake of Astarac.
The commune of Villefranche d'Astarac has a parish church dedicated to Saint Vincent, built in 1220 by Centule I. In 1292, Centule III, his grandson, had it enlarged during the foundation of the bastide. It was revived in the 18th century. Today, it retains a very beautiful Romanesque porch. It houses a painting from the 17th century: a Virgin with a child giving a rosary to Saint-Dominique as well as to Sainte-Catherine of Siena. This painting, forgotten, was completely blacked. In 1998, the mayor of the time decided to notify the public authorities to save his heritage. The work is then listed in the inventory of Historical Monuments. The municipality has thus obtained a grant (3 years) to restore the painting, in its original frame which, too vermilled, had broken during the removal.
In the town of Villefranche d'Astarac, 2 sites of natural interest ZNIEFF type 2 are to be discovered.
The first "The slopes of the Lauze and the Arrats". This area is composed by the rugged hillsides and the valley floors of the Lauze and Arrats. The site also has wooded areas rich in biodiversity. The flood-prone lands of the valley bottom enriched with alluvion are mostly occupied by corn crops. Some natural meadows, mostly grazed, offer very interesting flora and fauna. The moors and their different stages of evolution offer a range of environments, from open grass to oak woodland. Formerly plowed in the 20th century, they have a recent anthropic origin. They present a high abundance of orchids. There are 34 species including the yellow ophrys; the bumblebee ophrys; the odorous ophrys, protected at the national level; the fly orchid or even the frog orchid. Some species can be observed in hay meadows. The Mediterranean influence is also found in the presence of broad-leaved lavender or immortelle. We also note the presence of the highly spiny Genet, protected at the national level, one of the few stations in the region. The complex formed by meadows and wooded elements as well as ponds, hosts a variety of species: bats like the Lesser and the Greater Rhinolophe, reptiles and amphibians like the Marbled Newt. Emblematic bird species are also present in this protected area, such as the booted eagle. The bodies of water that inhabit the ZNIEFF attract other birds.
Also, in 1923, the counts of Astarac had built the castle of Castillon, former name of the commune of Villefranche d'Astarac. It was one of the four castles in the county of Astarac. The first capital of the county was Mont d'Astarac. A few decades later, the counts settled in the east of the County, at Castillon (Villefranche d'Astarac). They built a wooden tower and then a castle of stone and lime. At the end of the year 1290, the count of Astarac, Centule III, decides to found a bastide in order to protect his lands and to compete with Siflavonois. From 1293, he granted this bastide a Charter of customs and the name of "Villefranca", Villefranche d'Astarac. Centule III then goes to trial and loses it before the king Philippe le Bel, who condemns him to pay a heavy indemnity to the abbey of Sibashir. He threatens him to seize his castle if he refuses. Centulle, angry at having lost this trial, decides to raze himself, entirely, his castle. For half a century, the counts were irritated by the growing influence of Sibecker and decided in 1298 to establish Mirande as their new capital. During his departure from Villefranche, the Count of Astarac, inscribed in the Charter, customs full of vengeance: prohibition on Villefranchois to sell, give or rent goods to the inhabitants of Sibashir. The king, for his part, will not receive any royalty, tax or impost from the inhabitants of Villefranche. The bastide which had been founded in 1291, did not have any military works. It only had, as a rampart, a house belt.
Centule III wanted to make Villefranche an important commercial center and had reserved suitable locations to facilitate the trade of animals there. Each category had its own entrance. These markets and fairs were recognized as very important, until 1563. The plague arrived in 1563 and caused markets to stop. She also appears to Siéchapper and they hasten to affirm that she comes from Villefranche. They therefore decide to prohibit access to the markets of Villefranchois. The disease rages for nearly a year and causes many victims. Markets will never recover and gradually disappear. Without resources, the village becomes considerably poorer. Villefranche-d'Astarac lost its appearance as a bastide in the 19th century, when was built the road linking Gimont to Boulogne, passing through Sibashir. The drawbridges were destroyed and replaced by stone works. The fortifications, and the ramps, were demolished to widen the route. In the middle of the 19th century, there was in Villefranche-d'Astarac a cabinetmaker, a carpenter, a weaver, a herdsman, four bakers, two innkeepers, a café, a tile maker, a water mill and a windmill.
