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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Vierge, located in Chalard in Haute-Vienne, finds its origin in the foundation of the Priory of Notre-Dame in 1088 by Geoffroy du Chalard. The latter, after an eremitic life, established a community of Augustine canons. The building of the monastery began in 1096, and the church was consecrated in 1100. A papal bubble confirmed the monastery's autonomy in 1150, consolidating its religious and architectural importance.

In the 12th century, the church was partially destroyed during the English occupation, which strengthened the site. Today only the choir and the transept remain, witnesses to its Romanesque architecture. In the 15th and 18th centuries, improvements were made, but the decline of the community continued until the Revolution, where the buildings were sold. The building was listed as a historic monument in 1910.

The church houses remarkable furniture, including a 15th century relic buffet, and preserves a monastic cemetery unique of its kind, with 70 tombstones, 56 of which are built, without regional equivalent. These elements underscore its historic and historic importance.

Architecturally, the cross is arched in cupola on pendants, while the transept presents a cradle and the choir a cul-de-four. The remains of the English fortifications, like the human-headed consoles, recall its tumultuous past. These details, combined with its ranking, make it a major site of the Limousin heritage.

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