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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Collonges-la-Rouge Hall, listed as a Historic Monument, is located opposite the village church. Its construction, in pink sandstone and covered with slate, dates back to the late 16th or 17th century. The building adopts a rectangular plan, with a croup roof supported by sandstones resting on walls to the north and south, rectangular piles to the east, and columns to the west. The northern part is home to a pot, whose circular oven, integrated in a square massif, opens with a double arc. Two square niches frame the mouth of the oven, that on the left bearing the engraved date of 1880, probably linked to a restoration or subsequent development.

The building is crossed by an alley linking the Gate Plate to the church, highlighting its central role in the urban organization of the village. The hall, owned by the commune, was registered in the Historical Monuments by order of 20 October 1987. Its architecture, typical of medieval and modern halls, reflects the commercial and community functions it housed, while harmoniously integrating into the local built heritage in pink sandstone.

Collonges-la-Rouge, the emblematic village of Limousin (now Nouvelle-Aquitaine), owes part of its charm to this type of construction. The halls then served as a market place, exchange and gathering, playing a major economic and social role for the inhabitants. The presence of the bake also suggests a collective use for baking bread, a common practice in rural communities of the modern era.

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