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Origin and history

The Gallo-Roman Mile of Limoges, probably a route column, had been known for at least the 18th century. It was destroyed in 1893 by the Limoges Public Works Department, despite doubts about its authenticity and readability. Several authors, such as Charles-Nicolas Allou and Florian Vallentin, attempted to interpret his inscriptions, but without consensus. Some saw it as a dedication to Emperor Antonin, while others, such as Émile Espérandieu, distinguished only illegible fragments such as a "T[" or a "TI" ligature. The stone, of whitish granite, was about 1.63 m tall for 0.53 m in diameter, with a partially buried base.

Before its destruction, the terminal stood near the Panet Gate, a medieval extension of the Limoges compound, on the Place de la Règle, facing the entrance of the Abbey of the Rule (now the Grand Seminary). Some historians, like Allou, evoked its possible origin in the town of the Palace, at a league of Limoges, but this hypothesis was contested. The Limousin Archaeological Society deeply regretted its destruction in 1893, proposing its transfer to the Adrien Dubouche Museum. Despite its disappearance, it was classified as a historic monument in 1894, before being removed from the lists in 1956 and 1984.

As early as the 18th century, Pierre Beaumesnil, who called it a mile, represented the boundary, although its appearance and inscriptions were subject to debate. Allou noted in 1821 that she did not carry the typical characters of the Miles, while Vallentin compared it to a 243 pillar dedicated to Gordien III. Espérandieu, after a unsuccessful visit in 1890, judged it anepigraph, except for a possible letter "T". Despite these uncertainties, its destruction in 1893, under the mandate of Mayor François Chénieux, marked the loss of an emblematic Gallo-Roman vestige, now known only by ancient descriptions and drawings.

A confusion persisted with other local stones, such as a triangular block of the Palais Cemetery or a missing inscription near the cathedral, published by Héron de Villefosse in 1884. These elements, although similar, should not be associated with the boundary of the place of the Rule. The archives, notably those of the Société archéologique du Limousin and the drawings of Beaumesnil, remain the only traces of this monument, whose exact location (latitude/longitude) was estimated near the present Rue de la Règle.

Posthumously classified in 1894 as a movable object, the terminal was subsequently removed from inventories in 1956 (objects) and 1984 (buildings), although it had never been protected as a building. The Merimée and Palissy bases keep track, but no official decommissioning order was issued. Today, its history illustrates the heritage losses of the 19th century and the challenges of Roman epigraphy, between fragmentary interpretations and irreversible destruction.

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