Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne (; oc, Nauta Vinhana, ; English: Upper Vienne) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve departments that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitai ...
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
in west-central
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Geography
The village lies on the right bank of the
Briance
The Briance (; oc, Briança) is a long river in the Haute-Vienne ''département'', central France. Its source is at La Croisille-sur-Briance. It flows generally northwest. It is a left tributary of the Vienne into which it flows between Cond ...
, which flows westward through the commune. It contains the former
Abbey of Solignac
Solignac Abbey, or the Abbey of Saint-Peter and Saint Paul of Solignac, is an abbey in Solignac, near Limoges, in Haute-Vienne.
It was founded around 631 AD by Saint Eligius (Éloi).
The present buildings date to the 12th century, but have be ...
, part of the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
order; founded in 631 and rebuilt several times, the current buildings date from the 17th century. Suppressed during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
and used as a porcelain factory until 1931, the former Abbey church is known as an exceptional example of
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this lat ...
and has been designated a National Historic Monument. On 1st of August, 2021 the community of Benedictine monks returned to the abbey and will be an active religious site once again.
Solignac-Le Vigen station
Solignac-Le Vigen is a railway station serving Solignac and Le Vigen, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The station opened on 1 July 1893 and is located on the Orléans–Montauban railway line. The station is served by TER (local) services operated b ...
has rail connections to Brive-la-Gaillarde and Limoges. Inhabitants are known as ''Solignacois'' in French.
Personalities
* St Ramaclus, 7th-century monk who was the first abbot at Solignac Abbey.
*
Joseph Brousseau
Joseph Brousseau (1733–1797) was an architect active in Limousin, France, in the 18th century. His work includes Château de Faye, Limoges, Lycée Gay-Lussac, the bishops Palace in Limousin, Chapel of the Visitation, various castles in the vicin ...
, French architect probably born at Solignac around 1733 and died at
Sées
Sées () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.
It lies on the river Orne from its source and north-by-northeast of Alençon. Sées station has rail connections to Argentan, Caen and Le Mans.
Name
The town's name derives ...
in the Orne on 5 February 1797.
*
Georges d'Aubusson de La Feuillade
Georges d'Aubusson de La Feuillade (1609 to 1697) was a French Catholic clergyman under Louis XIV, who served as Archbishop of Embrun (1649-1668), then Bishop of Metz (1669-1697). He also held a number of diplomatic posts and actively supported me ...
(1609-1697), later
Bishop of Embrun
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Embrun was located in southeastern France, in the mountains of the Maritime Alps, on a route that led from Gap by way of Briançon to Turin. It had as suffragans the Diocese of Digne, Diocese of Antibes and Gras ...
and
Bishop of Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
was a member and later
Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...