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Origin and history

The Saint-André-Saint-Léger Abbey of Meymac, founded in the 11th century as Benedictine priory, became a major abbey in the 12th century thanks to the support of Ebles II of Ventadour. Its church, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, preserves an 11th century bell tower with carved capitals, while its nave and vault date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The legend attributes its initial foundation to a sixth century hermit, Mamacus, whose church was consecrated in 546 by Bishop Rorice II of Limoges.

In the 17th century, after centuries of decline (the Hundred Years War, ruins in the 16th century), the abbey was rebuilt by the Congregation of Saint Maur between 1679 and 1689. The French Revolution drove the monks out in 1791, and the buildings became barracks, attic, and stables in the 19th century. Saved by Prosper Mérimée in 1840, it was restored from 1846. Today, its wings house the Marius-Vazeilles Museum (archaeology) and a contemporary art centre.

The abbatial church, classified in 1840, has singularities as the deviated orientation of its apses, possibly linked to the sunrise during the feast of St Andrew. Its remarkable elements include a 12th century Black Virgin, a contemporary Baroque organ inspired by the 17th century, and Romanesque capitals. The cloister, extinct, is known only by 19th-century engravings. The current buildings, partially rebuilt, form a courtyard with the church.

Among the notable works, the painting The Sleep of the Child Jesus (copy of the 17th century after Charles Le Brun) and Homage à la France bruterie by Alméry Lobel-Riche (XX century) illustrate his artistic heritage. The remains of the 17th and 19th centuries, protected since 1983, testify to its evolution between destruction and rebirth, while its cultural role continues with its exhibitions and collections.

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