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Origin and history

The collegiate church of Saint-Yrieix de Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche originated in the 6th century with Aredius (or Saint Arède), founder of a monastery on its domain of Attarum. At his death he was buried there, and his tomb became the heart of the Moustier, the main church of the monastery under the influence of Saint Martin de Tours. Today, only the Romanesque bell tower remains, a witness to medieval reconstruction.

In the 12th–13th centuries, the canonicals transformed the building into a semi-cathedral, plantagenet Gothic style, characteristic of the region. The south gate, adorned with a Christ in 12th century majesty, and the limousines of the bell tower illustrate this stylistic transition. The silver reliquary of St.Arede (a copy of which is displayed on site) was transferred to the Metropolitan Museum of New York in 1917.

It was rebuilt in the 14th century and breaks with the axis of the nave, reflecting late architectural developments. Ranked a historic monument in 1840, the collegiate also retained two side chapels surrounding the choir. His history thus blends Carolingian heritage, Romanesque radiance, and Gothic ambition, marked by links with the Plantagenets and canonical life of Limous.

In the 18th century, the collegiate church remained a place of ecclesiastical power: Canon Jean de Sanzillon de la Foucaudie, in possession of his priory in 1726, testified to this. Modern studies (Andrault-Schmitt, Depreux) highlight its role in regional artistic and musical culture from the 6th to the 13th century.

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