Allassac (; ) is a commune in the

Corrèze Corrèze (; ) is a département in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, on the bo ...

department in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

region of central

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Located in the Brive Basin, the commune of Allassac is irrigated by three major rivers in the north–south direction: the

Vézère The Vézère (; ) is a 211-km-long river in southwestern France. It is an important tributary to the Dordogne (river), Dordogne. Its source is in the northwestern part of the elevated plateau known as the Massif Central. It flows into the Dordog ...

and its tributaries the Loyre and the Clan which is a sub-tributary of the

. Allassac, like many surrounding communes, is part of Vézère Ardoise Country and benefits from the label ''

French Towns and Lands of Art and History Since 1985, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication has pursued a policy of preserving and promoting France's heritage. Historic towns and districts have been designated ''Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire'' ("Towns and Lands of Art and ...

''. The town of Allassac is located at the intersection of departmental roads D9, D25, D34 and D134. Allassac station on the Orléans–Montauban railway line has rail connections to Brive-la-Gaillarde, Uzerche and Limoges. It is located, in orthodromic distances, 6 kilometres east of Objat and 12 kilometres north-west of

Brive-la-Gaillarde Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of ), commonly known as simply Brive, is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the aggl ...

. The commune is also served by departmental roads D57, D148, and D901. Four kilometres to the south-east, the

A20 autoroute The A20 autoroute or L'Occitane is a highway through central France. A part of France's national network of autoroutes, it is long. Regions Crossed The road travels through the areas of Occitania, Limousin and Midi-Pyrénées. It starts ...

allows direct access to Allassac through Exit 48.

Hamlets

Apart from the town the commune has the following hamlets: *La Bessiere *Les Borderies *Brochat *La Chapelle *La Chatroulle *Le Colombier *La Croix Saint-Joseph *L'Escurotte *Eyzac *La Faurie *Garavet *Gauche *Laujour *Montaural *La Pialeporchie *Les Placeaux *La Plaine de Garavet *Le Pont Salomon *Le Pos Delpy *Le Puy *Les Rebieres Blanche *La Roche *Le Saillant d'Allassac *Le Saillant Vieux *Verdier *Verdier-Bas *Verdier-Haut Google Maps
/ref> ;Le Saillent In Latin ''aqua saliens'' meaning "leaping water". The name evokes the rapids and a cascade into a deep gorge. It was called ''ad illo Salente'' in 904.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

Allassac is derived from the

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

word ''Alaciacus'' (the estate of ''Alacius''). The first mention in the form ''Allassac'' was in the will of ''

Aredius Aredius, also and (25 August 591, at Saint-Yrieix in the Haute-Vienne), was chancellor to Theudebert I, king of Austrasia, and later Abbot of Attane (or Atane, ). He founded the monastery of Attane, which was renamed after his death ''Saint- ...

'' (Saint Yrieix). He called it ''Alaciaco'' in 947. The village is identified as ''Alassac'' in the ''Grand Atlas of the kingdom of France'' established by Johannes Blaeu in the 17th century then in the ''

Cassini map The Cassini Map or Academy's Map is the first topographic and geometric map made of the Kingdom of France as a whole. It was compiled by the Cassini family, mainly César-François Cassini (Cassini III) and his son Jean-Dominique Cassini (Cas ...

'' which represented France between 1756 and 1789. It was then ''Allassat'' until the beginning of the French Revolution before the final appearance of the current name in 1801.

History

Image:Allassac demeure ancienne (1).JPG, Image:Allassac demeure ancienne (2).JPG, The site of La Roche was inhabited as early as the

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

period as evidenced by the

Racloir In archaeology, a racloir, also known as ''racloirs sur talon'' (French for "scraper on heel"), is a type of flint tool made by prehistoric peoples. Description The racloir is a type of side scraper distinctive of Mousterian assemblages. ...

s and

Stone tool Stone tools have been used throughout human history but are most closely associated with prehistoric cultures and in particular those of the Stone Age. Stone tools may be made of either ground stone or knapped stone, the latter fashioned by a ...

s found in the area. When it was occupied by the Romans Allassac already had several

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

quarries that allowed rapid development of the town. In 572 Saint Yrieix and his mother donated a farm and forges to Allassac which was part of Yssandon Country. In the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

period there was already a fortified complex with a church and a house belonging to the abbots of

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

as well as a stately home. In 864 the relics of the

Holy Innocents The Massacre (or Slaughter) of the Innocents is a story recounted in the Nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew ( 2:16– 18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and u ...

were transported to Allassac to protect them from

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

invaders. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Allassac became a lordship of the Abbey of Saint-Martial of

. This was a co-lordship belonging among others to the Roffignac family who were called the "first Christians of Limousin". In the 14th century the town had a second enclosure with 17 towers, 8 gates, and 6 castles. The Bishopric fought to protect its territory. In the 16th and 17th centuries Allassac expanded due to the activities in the

quarries and food curing despite several sieges. In 1569, Henry d'Anjou spent a few days in the commune with his armies. In 1580 Allassac was the fourth largest city in Lower Limousin (today's Corrèze current). The number of fortified noble houses was increasing. In 1790, Allassac was briefly the capital of the canton before giving way to Donzenac in 1801. In 1870 the population was 4,200 inhabitants and for over a century slate mining remained an important industry. The farmers were also slate miners but

phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belongs to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs); orig ...

ended this dual economy. The farmers then turned to fruit and tobacco cultivation while developing slate quarries with the new opportunity to ship to Paris by train.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors ;Mayors from 1941

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Allassacois'' or ''Allassacoises'' in French.

Economy

Fruit-growing is well-developed in the commune, especially the ''Limousin apple'' ( AOP), the

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

, the

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

, and the

kiwifruit Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi), or Chinese gooseberry, is the edible berry (botany), berry of several species of woody vines in the genus ''Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa, ...

. A vineyard called ''Coteaux du Saillant - Vézère'' has been replanted on five hectares on

schistose Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

soil. Allassac was famous for its vineyards until the end of the 19th century through the Saillant wine cellar. The most common

varietals A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...

are Chenin,

Sauvignon gris Sauvignon gris () is a pink-colored wine grape that is a clonal mutation of Sauvignon blanc. The grape is primarily found in Bordeaux and Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southe ...

chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

, and

cabernet franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

. The breeding of Limousin breed calves raised by their mothers is also a common activity. File:Cave Vailant vezere.jpg, The Coteaux du Saillant-Vézère wine cellar at a place called ''La Jugie'' (Saillant d'Allassac) File:NectarinesBreuil310710 (3).jpg, Growing of

nectarine The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peach ...

s and

es File:Breuil pommiers060411 (10).jpg, Apple Orchard File:Vignes du Saillant d'Allassac.jpg, Coteaux du Saillant-Vezere near La Chartroulle File:Taureau_de_race_limousine.jpg, A Limousin bull File:LeBouchailloux100910 (44).jpg,

Limousin Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...

cows at rest File:Allassac SaillantVieux200910 (40).jpg, Old wine press

Cinema

In 1962 a scene for the film ''Le Chevalier de Pardaillan'' by

Bernard Borderie Bernard Borderie (10 June 1924 in Paris – 28 May 1978 in Paris) was a French film director and screenwriter. His father, Raymond Borderie, was one of the producers of ''Children of Paradise, Les Enfants du Paradis'' (''Children of Paradise'', 194 ...

was filmed at ''Pont du Saillant''.

Sports

Volleyball: 3 teams are registered in the ''Union française des œuvres laïques d'éducation physique'' (UFOLEP) (mixed)

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: *The Ecole des Tours Manor (15th century) houses a collection of 600 Roman and medieval weapons and armour as well as a forge for making weapons called "la Bombard" which was the last edge tool making activity in France *The Tour de César (Caesar's Tower) (12th century) with a height of 30 metres is all that is left of the ancient fortifications. It is made of

and

gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...

. The battlements were added in the 15th century. This is one of the few round towers from the Middle Ages in Limousin. *The old Saillant Bridge over the Vézère (16th century) ;Other sites of interest *The Chateau of Lasteyrie is a noble house from the 19th century at Saillant *Le Saillant, a village traversed by the

and shared between the communes of Allassac (The Saillant of Allassac left bank) and Voutezac (right bank). *The Gorges and waterfalls of the Clan near the ''Three Villages'' *The La Roche Site where

rocks outcrop. It has an orientation table and offers a wide panorama of the Cirque du Saillant. *At Garavet there is swimming and fishing in the

Religious heritage

*The Church of the

Decapitation Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...

of Saint John the Baptist (12th century). is registered as an historical monument. The tower was fortified in the 14th century during the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a c ...

. It has remarkable baroque furniture consisting of three altars and a pulpit. These were built by the Duhamel brothers around the year 1680. The central altarpiece (1679) is dedicated to the "sacred Heart of Jesus". That it depicts on one side Christ's Sacred Heart makes it exceptional as that devotion was activated only four years before the creation of the altar after the appearance of Christ to

Margaret Mary Alacoque Margaret Mary Alacoque (; 22 July 1647 – 17 October 1690) was a French Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, Visitation nun and mysticism, mystic who promoted Catholic devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart of Jesus in its moder ...

Paray-le-Monial Paray-le-Monial is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Since 2004, Paray-le-Monial has been part of the Charolais-Brionnais region. Its inhabitants are called Parodiens and P ...

in 1675. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects: **An

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

Retable A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum, it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate struct ...

, and 3 Statues (17th century) **An Eagle

Lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...

(17th century) **The whole Main Altar assembly (1679) **A Painting: Christ on the Cross (1869) **2 Statues: Saint John the Baptist and Saint Joseph (1679) **A Group Sculpture: Virgin of Pity (15th century) **A

Pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

(1681) *The Chapel of Saint-Férréol is from the 17th or 18th century and is partly in the cemetery in the village of ''La Chartroulle''. The chapel contains two items that are registered as historical objects: **A Statue: Saint Ferréol (17th century) **A Group Sculpture: Virgin of Pity (16th century) *The Chapel of Saint-Laurent from the 13th and 18th centuries in the village of ''Saint-Laurent'' has a gate opening directly onto the cemetery. The chapel contains three items that are registered as historical objects: **A Statue: Saint Laurent (15th century) **A Statue: Crowned Virgin and child (17th century) **A Statue on base: Saint Laurent (17th century) *The Chapel of Saint-Nicolas of Tolentine was built in 1894 in the village of ''Brochat''. It contains three items that are registered as historical objects: **A Statue: Saint Nicolas of Tolentino (17th century) **A Statuette: Virgin and child (15th century) **A Group Sculpture: Virgin of Pity (1554) *The Chapel of Saint-Roch from the 16th and 19th centuries in the village of ''Gauch'' contains two items that are registered as historical objects: **A Group Sculpture: Saint Roch speaks to the rich (17th century) **A Group Sculpture: Saint Roch speaks to the poor (17th century) *The Chapel of Saint-Marguerite was built in red sandstone from the 13th to the 18th century at the village of ''La Chapelle''. It contains a Statue on base: Crowned Virgin and child (17th century) which is registered as an historical object.Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Picture Gallery

Image:Allassac tour César (3).JPG, Image:Allassac manoir des Tours (6).JPG, Image:Allassac église (5).JPG, Image:Allassac chaire.JPG, Image:Allassac chaire détail (12).JPG, Image:Allassac église chapelle Notre-Dame vitrail (2).JPG, Image:Allassac église nef (2).JPG, Image:Allassac église (3).JPG, Image:Allassac Brochat (1).JPG, Image:Allassac Brochat (3).JPG, Image:Allassac la Chapelle (2).JPG, Image:Allassac la Chartroulle (4).JPG, Image:Allassac Gauch (3).JPG, Image:Allassac Gauch (4).JPG, Image:Allassac St Laurent (4).JPG, Image:Allassac St Laurent (8).JPG, File:Montée des eaux.jpg, File:050611 018.jpg, File:010810 (11).jpg,

Notable people linked to the commune

* Raynaud de La Porte, Cardinal Bishop of Ostia (+1325) *Aymard de Foucauld, (1824-1863), an officer of the French Army *Élie Dufaure, (1824-1865), Doctor of Laws,

Lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

at the Imperial Court of Paris. *The Lasteyrie du Saillant family: **Charles Philibert de Lasteyrie **Ferdinand Charles Leon Lasteyrie **Robert Charles de Lasteyrie **Charles de Lasteyrie *Georges Mamy, (1921-1997), journalist and writer, was born in Allassac. *Jean-Louis Lascaux, Knight of the National Order of Merit, director of the ''Centre médico-psycho-pédagogique'' (CMPP) of

Tulle Tulle (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Corrèze, in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle- ...

and the director of the same at

Brive Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of ), commonly known as simply Brive, is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the agglome ...

unifying the fifteen towns of the Country of Art and History into ''Vézère Ardoise'' *Aurélien Beco, born in 1986, rugby player originally from Allassac *Bertrand de Chanac

References

Bibliography

*Jean-Louis Lascaux, ''Allassac in Bas-Limousin a country... a history'', Allassac, 2006 () *Chanoine Blaise-Adolphe Marche, ''The past glory of Allassac and its five annexes'', Brive, 1909 ; Paris, 2004

External links

Allassac official website

Allassac on the National Geographic Institute website

* ttp://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/cassinige.html?lat=45.2592&lon=1.4764&zoom=13 ''Alassac'' on the 1750 Cassini Map {{Authority control Communes of Corrèze