ROCHECHOUART N45.82196 E0.81930
Perched on a rocky promontory, to this 13th and 15th century fortress was
refurbished in the 17th and 18th centuries. The interior courtyard
(Renaissance) is embellished with an arched and twisted column gallery.
Inside, two rooms house 16th century frescoes. The first shows hunting scenes
and the monumental second fresco evokes the Trials of Hercules. Today, the
château houses the collection from the Rochechouart Départemental Museum of
Modern Art, exhibitions and the Sub-prefecture.
To see : The Départemental Museum of Modern Art and the 16th century frescoes.
Open every day except Tuesday. 1 March to 30 September: 10a.m. -
12:30p.m./1:30p.m. – 6:00p.m. 1 October to 15 December: 10a.m. -
12:30p.m./2.m. – 5:00p.m. Non-guided or guided visits for groups.
Tel: 05 55 03 77 79
Website :
www.ville-rochechouart.fr
LES SALLES-LAVAUGUYON N45.74253 E0.69363
Salles Lavauguyon’s church and its 11th and 12th century priory were placed
under the protection of Saint-Eutrope, the first bishop of Saintes. The portal
is representative of Romanesque art from Saintes.
To see : 12th and 13th century frescos which represent highly diverse biblical
scenes : from the Creation of Adam and Eve to illustration of the Vices, but
also the lives of the Saints and portraits of the priory’s founders.
May to September: exhibitions and crafts in the priory, guided or non-guided
visits all year (by appointment). May-June-September: 2pm – 5pm Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday July-August: 2:30pm – 6:30pm every day.
Groups: all year by appointment
Tel. Town hall: 05 55 00 30 68 Priory: 05 55 48 82 23
Web sites:
lessalleslavauguyon.com or
lessalleslavauguyon.fr
BRIE N45.67439 E0.89074
Champagnac la Rivière district
Lord’s estate built in 1480 to celebrate a prestigious marriage between the
Bries and the Hauteforts. Earlier, there were two towers, one of which was the
chapel. Château entirely furnished and lived in.
To see : The Gothic door, the granite stairs are finished by palm tree vaults,
the Renaissance dining room, the Mirabeau bedroom, the Napoleon III salon… in
the garden: the Mediaeval Barn and the “Little World of Automatons”.
- April to October: the château (guided visits) : every Sunday and bank holiday from 2p.m. to
7p.m.
- August: the Little World of Automatons is open every day 2p.m. to 6p.m.
- Groups: all year round by appointment.
Tel: 05 55 78 17 52
Website :
www.chateaudebrie.fr
MONTBRUN N45.63510 E0.89727
Dournazac district.
Fortified château, representative of military architecture, built in the 12th
century and partly rebuilt in the 15th century. Its donjon is 45 metres tall!
Destroyed during the Revolution, then restored, it has an interior courtyard
with a well, a drawbridge, battlements and machicolations – all for defence…
To see : dungeons and all the reception rooms with their Neo-gothic furniture.
In the gardens: Carolingian motte and the chapel.
Guided visits April to September 2pm to 6pm Groups: all year by appointment
Tel: 05 55 78 65 26
Website :
www.montbrun.com
CHALUS-MAULMONT N45.65532 E0.97813
Château built between 1265 and 1275 by Géraud de Maulmont who also built
Chalusset. Priest to the French King, he was an exceptional man who, during
this time, dominated political and administrative life in the Limousin. The
château tower collapsed in 1994.
To see : beautiful paired Romanesque windows of the edifice listed as a
historical monument in 1981. Visiting the edifice ruins gives the visitor
beautiful viewpoints of the château above. A complete renovation of the site
is in progress in partnership with the Heritage Foundation.
July and August: Open 3p.m. to 6p.m.
Visits by appointment - Tel: 06 03 10 46 05
CHALUS-CHABROL N45.65774 E0.98046
Historically important place where in 1199 Richard the Lionheart was fatally
wounded by a crossbow bolt. This château is the symbol of the Limoges
Viscounts’ resistance against the Plantagenets. Richard the Lionheart‘s
entrails lie in the chapel. It belonged to illustrious families such as :
Sully, d’Albret, Borgia and Bourbon.
To see : 12th and 13th century ruins, 18th century estate and the chapel.
Information: Châlus Town Hall. Tel: 05 55 31 88 88
Tourist Office Tel. 05 55 78 51 13
LES CARS N45.67953 E1.07313
Lord’s domain of powerful alliances belonging to the Pérusse family, important
followers of 16th century royalty. Its origins date from the 13th century and
is a fine example of the symbiosis of the French Renaissance in Limousin with
16th century military architecture. Rebuilt in 1559 by François des Cars,
first Limousin governor.
To see : two partly restored towers, historical, archaeological and lapidary
presentation rooms. Interesting stables nearby in the town.
Visiting possibilities : Tourist Office
Tel: 05 55 78 51 13
LASTOURS N45.64794 E1.11730
Feudal mottes (10th –12th century) and ruins of an important castle (12th –
15th century), powerful castellany and important place in Limousin history,
cradle of the Lastours knights including Gouffier, the “Lion Knight”.
To see : remains of a Romanesque donjon, moat, towers, defensive walls, high
and low dwelling courtyards; volunteer work sites (improvement and
strengthening) – Numerous events (mediaeval fetes, shows, themed visits,
evening walks) – “Garden of a thousand and one nights”.
Open certain weekends and bank holidays (ask for information) and first
weekend in August. Groups all year round by appointment.
Tel: 05 55 58 38 47
Website :
www.chateau-de-lastours.fr
NEXON N45.67708 E1.18871
The 17th century château restored in the 19th century has housed the Town Hall
since 1986. The stables, near the château, bear witness to the prestigious
history of the horse in Nexon. The stud farm existed in the 16th century and
is one of the oldest in France and Pompadour is the cradle of the Anglo-Arab
breed.
To see : château garden and surrounding area, Garden of the Senses (non guided
visits or guided visits all year round by appointment). Nearby : Saint Jean
Baptiste church (12th – 15th century)
Groups: guided visits of the Nexon site (château, park and garden) all year by
appointment.
Tel: 05 55 58 28 44
Website :
www.pays-nexon.fr
LE CHALARD N45.54924 E1.13058
Jewel of Romanesque art, this 11th century church is Saint Geoffroy’s
hermitage where in 1088 he had a monastery and a basilica built. At the end of
the 12th century, a fortress was built as defence against attacks from the
English; first by Richard the Lionheart and then during the Hundred-Years War.
To see : the cut away enamel shrine, the flamboyantly Gothic case and the
“craftsmen” monks’ cemetery. Close by, an exhibition traces the gold mining in
this valley from Celts up to the 20th century.
June, July and August, guided visits – 3pm to 6pm
Groups: all year round by appointment
Tel: 05 55 09 99 99
E-mail:
si.lechalard@wanadoo.fr
JUMILHAC N45.49310 E1.06040
This château built in the 13th century, during the Renaissance and the 17th
century, with its magical towers and its terraced gardens traces through Art,
History and Architecture, Jumilhac’s destiny.
To see : allegorical ridge tiles (feudal and alchemy), spinning women legend
(bedroom, fresco), large, panelled salon, Louis 13th fire place, kitchen,
coppers, small Louis 15th salon, gardens designed around gold and alchemy
(rose garden, labyrinth, flower beds, pond, planetarium).
From 1/06 to 30/09: every day from10a.m. to 7p.m. and Tuesday evenings
From 09:30p.m. to 11:30p.m. (plus Thursdays in July/August)
Spring and autumn midterm holidays: every day from 2p.m. to 6p.m.
Other times : Sundays from 2p.m. to 5p.m. or by appointment (06 09 61 78 40).
Tel/Fax: 05 53 52 42. 97
Website :
www.jumilhac.net - E-mail:
chateau.de.jumilhac@sfr.frchâteau
SAINT-YRIEIX N45.51533 E1.20197
Town of 8000 inhabitants. Around the town, remains of gold and kaolin mine
workings. Porcelain museum. Mediaeval enclosure, the remains of the town
walls, Plô tower and the vast 13th – 15th century Collegial church.
Renaissance houses._ To see : 11th century Bible (library) the Centre for
Artists Books, unique in Europe.
Guided visits all year by appointment.
Tourist Office Tel: 05 55 08 20 72
E-mail :
info@ot-styrieix.com
COUSSAC-BONNEVAL N45.51142 E1.32540
Overlooking the town of Coussac, Bonneval château occupies an important
strategic position. A building existed as early as 930. It was rebuilt in the
14th century and refurbished in the 18th. Quadrilateral, it’s flanked by four
large, round towers and surrounded by a moat. It’s still owned by the Bonneval
Counts and Marquis.
To see : oriental façade with a central, square tower having a double
drawbridge. This gives access to a central courtyard which in the Renaissance
was decorated with a columned gallery. Elegant west façade with a terrace,
remarkable, richly furnished apartments.
15 June to 15 September: guided visits from 2:30p.m. to 6p.m. (last visit at
5p.m.) - Easter, May bank holidays and Mother’s Day.
Sound and light first Saturday in August.
Tel. 05 55 75 24 15 or 05 55 75 28 46 (S.I.)
Website :
www.bonneval.com.br
SEGUR-LE-CHATEAU N45.42950 E1.30334
Picturesque mediaeval town, cradle of the first Limoges viscounts and seat of
an Appeals Court in the middle of the 15th century. This listed site is one of
France’s Most Beautiful Villages.
To see : numerous 15th and 16th century houses, feudal château (not to open to
visits)
Guided visits for groups all year (by appointment).
Tourist Office Tel: 05 55 73 39 92
Website :
www.officetourisme-segur.com
POMPADOUR N45.39626 E1.38128
Monumental feudal Château founded in the 11th century by the very noble
Lastours and Pompadour families, modified in the 15th, 18th and 19th
centuries. It was given by King Louis XV to his favourite, the famous Marquise
de Pompadour.
To see : The Château overlooks one of the oldest racecourses. With its
numerous stables allotted to stallions, its mare farm La Rivière, unique in
France, the Pompadour National Stud farm has an essential role regarding
breeding and competitions in all disciplines. 12th-13th century Romanesque
church in Arnac and Chapelle St Blaise of which the nave ceiling and walls are
covered by a monumental fresco by the artist André BRASILIER.
Guided visits Tourist Office Tel: 05 55 98 55 47
Website :
www.pompadour.net
CHÂLUCET N45.73242 E1.31374
Châlucet mediaeval fortress is a major feature of the Limousin’s heritage.
Built on the summit and slopes of a rocky spur; two fortifications: low
Châlucet is the oldest (12th to 16th century) with the famous “Jeannette
Tower” and high Châlucet (13th century) both a military place and a luxury
residence; demolished by the Limoges Consuls at the end of the 16th century.
One of the most beautiful ruins in France; on-going archaeological dig and
strengthening works.
To see : discovery circuit of the imposing ruins.
Guided or non-guided visits:
- 15 June to the third weekend of September: open from 10:30a.m. to 6:30p.m.
- other times, closed between 12:30p.m. – 1:30p.m. and from 9 November to
March.
Walks and legends, summer shows: ask for information.
Welcome space: Tel. : 05 55 00 96 55
Website : www.cg87.fr
SOLIGNAC N45.75522 E1.27471
One of the oldest and most remarkable churches in the Limousin; monastery
founded by Saint Eloi in the 7th century, pillaged and destroyed, then
re-established from the 11th century. Very prosperous in the 12th and 13th
centuries; church and buildings ruined anew during the Wars of Religion and
then built up again in the 17th century. It was an abbey until the Revolution;
late transformations during diverse affectations.
To see : the abbey possessing Mozarabic and Périgueux epoch influences; 15th
century stained glass windows, remarkable capitals, objects of art. In the
surroundings: Romanesque bridge, ramparts and old town houses.
In summer: guided visits on Sunday at 3:30p.m.
Concerts (ask for information) - Tel: 05 55 00 42 31
Website :
www.tourisme-solignac.com
