Saint-Merd-la-Breuille (; ) is a commune in the

Creuse Creuse (; or ) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the east, Cor ...

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, France.

Geography

General information

In the extreme south-east of the Creuse department, the municipality of Saint-Merd-la-Breuille extends over 40.19 km2. Bordering the departments of

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 ...

and

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285.Ramade. It is bordered to the south by the Feyt stream for nearly five kilometres. The minimum altitude of 717 metres is located at the extreme south-east, near the place called Les Allys, where the Méouzette leaves the commune and enters on the commune of

Laroche-près-Feyt Laroche-près-Feyt is a Communes of France, commune in the Corrèze Departments of France, department in central France. Geography The Chavanon forms the commune's eastern boundary. Population Notable people The following were born in Laroch ...

. The maximum altitude of 846 metres is located at the extreme southwest, on the edge of the commune of

Eygurande Eygurande (; ) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Population Sights * Arboretum du Massif des Agriers See also *Communes of the Corrèze department The following is a list of the 277 communes of the Corrèze ...

, near the place called Travers. Crossed by the departmental road 18, the village of Saint-Merd-la-Breuille is located, in orthodromic distances, 23 kilometres north-northeast of Ussel and 31 kilometres southeast of Aubusson. The municipal territory is also served by the departmental roads 18A4 and 79.

Bordering municipalities

Saint-Merd-la-Breuille borders seven other municipalities, three of which are in the department of

and two in the department of

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285.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 ...

municipality of

Lamazière-Haute Lamazière-Haute (; ) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Population Sights * Arboretum du Massif des Agriers See also *Communes of the Corrèze department The following is a list of the 277 communes of the Cor ...

Toponymy

Saint Merd is the deformation of Saint Medard de Noyon (Médardus).

History

There has been a human occupation in the commune of Saint-Merd-la-Breuille since antiquity. At Manoux, a mound with a

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

seems to indicate a

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

occupation. 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 ...

, the Château de Hautefeuille was located on the current territory of the municipality. It is possible to find traces of its existence in 16th century documents. Indeed, this land was sold by Jean de Rochefort to Antoine de la Fayette in 1539. It then remained in the hands of the de La Fayette family, according to what is said by Guillaume-Michel Chabrol, in Volume IV of his book on the General and Local Customs of the Province of Auvergne (1784): ''"The land of Hautefeuille, parish of Flayat, belonged to Louis de la Fayette. Jean Motier de la Fayette, killed in the day of Cognac in 1568, was lord of it, as well as of Nades. Claude de la Fayette, his son, lord of the same lands, married Marie d'Allègre, daughter of Gaspard, lord of Viverols and Beauvoir, on 22 November 1579. She passed to François de la Fayette, who married Magdeleine Pioche de la Vergne, famous in the Republic of Letters, in 1655. This branch of the Maison de la Fayette has been extinguished in the Maison de la Trimouille."'' The castle was destroyed by Protestants during the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent ...

, in retaliation for the battle of Cognac in 1568, where its lord was killed. It was erected on the hill north of the villages of Gourseix and Vaudeix (at the point quoted at 766 metres above sea level on the IGN map) but on site, there is no record of its existence. However, in the surrounding villages, stones from its ruins have been reused for the construction of houses. A stone with a coat of arms was found on the wall of a house. This coat of arms has been taken over as the municipality's coat of arms.

Politics and administration

Guy Faugeron has been mayor of Saint-Merd-la-Breuille since March 2011.

Demographics

Local culture and heritage

Places and monuments

* Saint-Médard Church rebuilt in the 16th century and refurbished in the 18th and 19th centuries. * Dupeyrix-Lavetizon Castle, in the village, at the west of the church. * Besth Chapel. * Fountain of devotion Saint-Jean-Baptiste, in Besth. File:Saint-Merd-la-Breuille église choeur.jpg, The Church choir. File:Saint-Merd-la-Breuille église chevet.jpg, The Church chevet. File:Saint-Merd-la-Breuille église portail.jpg, Its portal. File:Saint-Merd-la-Breuille calvaire à côté église.jpg, Calvary next to the church.