The fortified church
Built between 1367 and 1384, this is the oldest fortified church in the département.
History
Around 1350, the seigneury of Saint-Germain depended on the viscount of Limoges. It was later sold to the Roger de Beaufort, wealthy lords of the Bas-Limousin region, whose family produced the Avignon popes Clément VI and Grégoire XI.
In his will, Cardinal Hugues Roger de Beaufort, brother of Limousin Pope Clement VI, expressed the wish that a collegiate church, served by thirteen canons, be built at Saint-Germain. After his death in 1364, Cardinal Pierre Roger de Beaufort, his nephew and executor of his will, the future Gregory XI, had the church built.
It was built in the midst of the Hundred Years’ War, which explains its fortifications, and opened for worship in 1381.
Architecture
In many ways, the church’s defense system is comparable to that of the Popes’ Palace in Avignon: machicolations on arcades, parapets, battlements, firing bays and archères. A spiral staircase leads to the dungeon rooms (chapter house and guard room) and to the attic above the nave and choir: remarkable roof frame, large bell dated 1721.
Take the secret staircase and you’ll find yourself some fifteen meters up, walking along the covered walkway that completely encircles the top of the church, and discovering a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside and the sloping roofs of the village houses. For further information, please contact the town hall, place de l’église or the tourist office, avenue du Remblai
Remarkable objects in the church
Canons’ stalls (15th century).
Gilded wooden statues: Saint-Germain and Saint-Léonard (17th century), Pietà (18th century). In the heart of the church stood the tomb of the cardinal benefactor, destroyed during the French Revolution. A piece of wood from the mausoleum remains on display in the sacristy (15th century).
Image :
– The collegiate church at the beginning of the 20th century with the market hall, a shop on the right, and the well which has since been moved to the front of the schools.
To continue the tour, turn around and take the alleyway around the church to the right.