Opposite Rabastens, on the other side of the bridge that spans the Tarn, stands Couffouleux. The town is recent, and owes its development to the construction of the Toulouse-Paris railway line under the Second Empire and the opening of the station in 1864.
Coufouleux, at the confluence…
It is in the commune of Coufouleux that the Agoût flows into the Tarn, hence the Latin etymological origin "confluences"; but as for knowing whether one or two f is needed, no one has been able to agree; the two spellings "Coufouleux" and "Couffouleux" are now accepted!
Couffouleux is in the immediate vicinity of Rabastens… just cross the bridge. The view is magnificent both on Couffouleux and Rabastens. A free shuttle bus connects the 2 city centers and uses it several times a day.
The town thus developed in the 19th and 20th centuries around the station and as a communication axis for Rabastinois.
Four hamlets also structure the municipal territory: Saint-Pierre de Bracou, Sainte-Quitterie, Saint-Victor, and Saint-Waast. Each of these hamlets has a church. Saint-Waast and Saint-Pierre de Bracou are classified as historical monuments.
50 meters from the Agoût, Saint-Waast (or Saint-Vast) is a small church built in the 12thᵉ century. It has the rough appearance of old Romanesque country churches.
It was dedicated to Saint-Eparoblus, known as “Cybard”. At 7ᵉ century, Saint-Cybard remained secluded in a cave located under the northern rampart of Angoulême. His name, which was transformed into Saint-Bas in the 17the century and became Saint-Waast in the middle of the 19the century
The interior, without vain flourishes, with its strong pillars and barrel vault, is also characteristic of an art that rejects futility. The single nave, built in cut stone, is timber-framed. The apse with a cul-de-four vault has retained its Romanesque window; the choir bay with a ribbed vault on the 15thᵉ century once supported a square bell tower. It was replaced in the 17thᵉ century by a brick bell tower pierced with three bays, raised on the facade above the portal.
