Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.t‿ɑ̃tɔnɛ̃ nɔbl val]; Occitan: Sent Antonin, before 1962: Saint-Antonin)[3] is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France.

Having played an influential and somewhat bellicose role in the history of the region from the 12th to the 17th centuries, it then declined economically and as a result has preserved largely the medieval core which has many listed buildings and is now a major tourist attraction.

His remains were believed to have been interred on the site of the town, an abbey was founded in the 8th century[a] by Festus, the local ruler of what was then known as Vallis Nobilis.

The former castle of Vallette (castrum vallatum) was built in 1180 by Fortuné de Valletta, son of viscount Archambauld, who died in the Holy Land in 1190.

This castle was located on top of a steep cliff overlooking the Aveyron, its ruins were still visible in the nineteenth century, when it was also known as the Château de Bône.

(The Vallette family gave their name to the Maltese capital Valletta, which was founded by the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Jean Parisot de Valette.)

A little later, Sant-Antonin and nearby Guépie sought the protection of the count of Toulouse, sponsor of the Albigeois, who installed Adhemar de Jourdain as governor.

Louis VIII resolved to march in person against the Cathars in 1226, and sent Hebrard, a knight templar, to take possession of the town on his behalf and receive the oath of allegiance of the inhabitants.

After taking the oath, they begged Sir Hébrard not to tell anyone, lest the count of Toulouse find out before the arrival of the King and come to ravage their lands.

He resumed the siege in the following February, and as it dragged on he entrusted it to Arnaud de Pressac, marshal of his forces, so that he could travel to Najac where he had summoned the representatives of the towns in the Languedoc to raise funds.

But all his efforts, and the funds he had raised in the lands under his control, became useless, because of the peace negotiated between the two courts, and the English remained masters of Saint-Antonin for the next several years.

The King's troops laid siege to the town once again; but in 1388, they paid 240 francs in gold to avoid punishment for joining with the rebel communities.

When religious fanaticism rekindled in Rouergue in the 16th century, as a result of the new doctrines of Luther and Calvin, Saint-Antonin was one of the first to declare for the Protestants, and it quickly became one of their main bastions.

When 70 or so Protestants of nearby Gaillac assembled in 1561 for the Lord's Supper, the inhabitants of the district of Orme, backed by a company of regular troops, took them prisoner.

They gathered their brothers from Millau and Montauban, and seized Gaillac, looting and killing indiscriminately, and setting fire to the neighbourhood where Catholics were taking refuge.

Twelve inhabitants were put to death, all the fortifications and walls were destroyed, and the town was ordered to pay a sum of 50,000 crowns to avoid being pillaged.

It features a range of stone arched and half-timbered houses and covered walkways listed in the French national heritage records.