Solignac (; oc, Solenhac) is a commune in the

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-Aquita ...

department in the

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 and t ...

in west-central

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Geography

The village lies on the right bank of the Briance, which flows westward through the commune. It contains the former Abbey of Solignac, 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') , found ...

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 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, French architect probably born at Solignac around 1733 and died at Sées in the Orne on 5 February 1797. * Georges d'Aubusson de La Feuillade (1609-1697), later Bishop of Embrun 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 Est r ...

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 ...

of Solignac Abbey, from 1639 to 1649;

References

External links

COMMUNE SOLIGNAC PHOTO GALLERY
Communes of Haute-Vienne {{HauteVienne-geo-stub

Geography

Personalities

See also

References

External links