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Origin and history

The Saint-Robert church of Saint-Robert, located in Corrèze (New Aquitaine), is a former Prioral church founded in the 11th century as a dependency of the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu. Assigned to the lords of Comborn around 1079-1080, it was first mentioned in a cartular around 1100. Its transept dates from the 11th century, while the bedside and the choir, with strolling and radiant chapels, were built between 1120 and 1140. The carved capitals, comparable to those of the Dorat collegiate, suggest a realization around 1130.

The Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion (XIVth–XVIth centuries) caused the ruin of the nave, destroyed in 1586. The priory, united with the Port-Dieu from the fourteenth century, lost his monastic life. In the 18th century, the church was first used as a wooden shop for the Tulle weapons factory, then was the subject of restoration attempts: a estimate was drawn up in 1720, followed by a lawsuit against the entrepreneurs before 1789. The traces of the nave were rediscovered in 1827 during works.

Classified as a historical monument in 1843 upon request of Prosper Mérimée, the church was restored from 1885 by Anatole de Baudot, then by Henri Chaine (1895–1906). Today, it remains only its eastern part, characterized by a 14-metre-high choir, a narrow walk-through surmounted by a rostrum, and about sixty Romanesque capitals. The thick piles of the transept, reinforced to support the bell tower, bear witness to medieval defensive adaptations.

The architecture of Saint-Robert illustrates the regional influences of Limousin, with radiant chapels similar to those of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne or the Dorat. The protection of the Viscounts of Limoges and the temporal dependence of the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu underline its historical importance. The restorations of the 19th and 20th centuries sought to preserve this Romanesque heritage, despite the disappearance of the nave and monastic buildings.

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