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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Rancon Lantern of the Dead is a circular-shaped funeral edicle built in the 12th century in granite-cut stone. Measuring 1.40 metres in external diameter, it rests on a circular base itself placed on a square platform. A 88 cm high opening, located 70 cm from the base, used to manipulate the inner fanal, intended to symbolically illuminate the deceased.

The upper part, conical, is pierced by six small openings and surmounted by a cross with five leaves. This monument, classified since 1925, illustrates medieval traditions related to the commemoration of the dead. Its sober architecture and ritual function make it a remarkable vestige of the Limousin funerary heritage.

Located in the Lantern Square in Rancon (Haute-Vienne), this building is now communal property. Its state of conservation and its approximate location (4 California Street) make it a point of local historical interest, although its geographical accuracy is considered satisfactory a priori (note 6/10).

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