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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Saint-Julien-de-Brioude-et-Saint-Vaury de Saint-Vaury, located in Creuse, presents architectural traces dating back to the 13th century, with visible Gothic structures. Initial building problems, such as the collapse of vaults and the instability of walls, have led to later adaptations, including reinforced foothills. Remains under the town hall garden suggest an old extension of the choir, destroyed during the construction of a castle in the 15th century, replaced later by the current town hall.

The current bell tower, the work of the brothers Perret (Augustus and Gustave), was built in 1924 after a fire caused by lightning in 1921. This reinforced concrete bell tower, innovative for the era, uses parabolic and hyperbolic curves, marking an aesthetic break with traditional techniques. The Perrets have also designed an inner arch in curved cement, incorporating preserved archaeological elements. Their intervention extends to the bell tower terrace and its balustrade, illustrating their mastery of reinforced cement as ornament.

The church was originally linked to the Saint-Martial Abbey of Limoges, possibly dating from a 9th century royal donation. In the 17th century, it was described as a cruciform, with a vaulted choir and a nave covered with a broken arch panel. After the choir collapsed in 1792, it was rebuilt between 1824 and 1826. The 1924 restorations also included a partial repair of the western apparent concrete facade, consolidating the structure.

Excavations revealed carved capitals, probably from an ancient cloister, now preserved in the chapel of Saint Michael. The church floor has been enhanced, as evidenced by the mouldings of the western gate, partially buried. These elements, combined with the remains of graves and durns discovered near the bedside, underline the historic and funeral significance of the site since the Middle Ages.

The bell tower of the Perret brothers, although considered a minor work in their careers, prefigures subsequent achievements such as the tower of Tony Garnier (1929) or the flying roofs of Le Corbusier. Its design, based on economic and aesthetic principles, influenced modern 20th century architecture, particularly in the use of reinforced concrete as a decorative and structural element.

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