Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne (, literally ''Beaulieu on

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named af ...

''; oc, Belluec) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department 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, ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

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 t ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

. Beaulieu is a medieval city, originally dominated by its great

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

of St Pierre, of which only the abbey church remains. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Brivezac was merged into Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne.Arrêté préfectoral
28 June 2018

Geography

Toponymy

Beaulieu comes from the Latin "bellus locus", "lieu beau", a nice place to live. The inhabitants of Beaulieu are called by varies names: Beaulieusard, Beaulieurois, Bellilocien, Bellieurain, Bellilocois, Belliloquois, Belliloqueteux, Belliquière, Berlugan, Beloudonien.

Location

Beaulieu is in the south of the

. It is located on the D940 road on the banks of the Dordogne river, south of the

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

Tulle Tulle (; ) is a commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the department of Corrèze, in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Tulle is also the episcopal see of the Roman Cat ...

is 37 km north.

Brive-la-Gaillarde Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of oc, Briva la Galharda) 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 agglomeration was 7 ...

is 38 km away and

Collonges-la-Rouge Collonges-la-Rouge (, literally ''Collonges the Red''; oc, Colonjas) is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. History The monks of Charroux Abbey founded a priory in the 8th century which attracted ...

is 20 km to the northwest.

Aurillac Aurillac (; oc, Orlhac ) is the prefecture of the Cantal department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aurillacois'' or ''Aurillacoises''. Geography Aurillac is at above sea leve ...

(

Cantal Cantal (; oc, Cantal or ) is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour, Cantal, Saint ...

) is 60 km to the east.

Hydrography and relief

The commune is limited on its entire eastern border by the Dordogne, and watered to the north by its tributary the Ménoire.

History

Middle ages

In the midst of the

War of succession A war of succession is a war prompted by a succession crisis in which two or more individuals claim the Order of succession, right of successor to a demise of the Crown, deceased or deposition (politics), deposed monarch. The rivals are typic ...

at the head of Aquitaine, around 855, Rodolphe de Turenne, Archbishop of

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

, rallied to the ''legitimate'' cause embodied by

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...

, was committed to establishing a monastic foundation on his family lands. After a vain attempt at Végennes, he turned to Vellinus. The

cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll (''rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...

of the

reported that at the sight of the place's splendour, he could not help but baptise it "bellus locus". From the great

Solignac Abbey 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 b ...

, he invited a team of monks to set up a new monastery and participated with his wide kin in the building of the abbey's heritage. The

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

was consecrated in 860. Like those at nearby

Uzerche Uzerche (; oc, Usercha) is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France. In 1787, the English writer Arthur Young described the town as "the pearl of the Limousin" because of its picturesque setting. ...

and

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, 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 ...

, the abbey of Saint Pierre at Beaulieu was a

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 ...

foundation and flourished largely because of its proximity to the

Way of St. James The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the Twelve Apostle ...

. The first monks came from the abbey of

Solignac Solignac (; oc, Solenhac) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in west-central France. Geography The village lies on the right bank of the Briance, which flows westward through the commune. It contains t ...

, near Limoges. Thanks to the pious donations of the Counts of Quercy, the Viscounts of

Turenne Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne , was a French general and one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the ...

, their multiple vassals, the area of the abbey consists of a third of the Bas-Limousin. Endowed with a treasure trove of relics (Saint-Prime and Félicien), and although it suffered from secular lusts, it had a spectacular rise that allowed the development of pilgrimages. Beaulieu became an essential stage on the roads uniting Limoges to Aurillac and

Figeac Figeac (; oc, Fijac) is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France. Figeac is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Figeac is on the via Podiensis, a major hiking medieval pilgrimage trail which is part of the Way of St. ...

, leading to Conques, Moissac, Toulouse and Compostela. As its wealth grew, the independence of the abbey was threatened by neighbouring

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

lords and it was defended against their depredations by the bishops of Limoges. Annexed to the

Cluny Abbey Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churches ...

around 1095, it was reformed and experienced a favourable period and the construction of the great abbey church was begun and it continued for nearly half a century. In the fourteenth century, a separate western steeple was erected: this also acted as the town's belfry. The powerful abbey, under the protection of popular saints, was located around fertile lands, an indispensable condition for the village inhabitants to develop. From the end of the 12th century, a village was built around the

conventual The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

buildings protected by a wall, punctuated by towers and bordered by a ditch. From the monastic enclosure, districts developed outside the walls: the ''Faubourg de la Grave'', towards the Dordogne, where the former hospital was located; the main district at the site of the old village of Vellinus; the ''Barri du Trou'' in which the deceased were buried and the Mirabel district near the ancient orchards of the abbey. Beaulieu became an important commercial place from which emerged a true bourgeois community that aroused the desires of the Lords of Castelnau and Turenne. From 1213, saw the end of the Cluny stranglehold, with the abbey losing power little by little. Beaulieu became the seat of the conflicts for power between the Lord Abbot, the middle-class and the Viscount of Turenne. With the beginning of the fifteenth century, the abbey gradually crumbled.

Modern era

The abbey declined during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

, which devastated the region. The

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...

completed the process. The abbey suffered the attacks by the Protestants during that war. As the sixteenth century approached, the ideas of the reform had spread under the influence of the merchants and ''gabariers'' (barge-men) of the Dordogne. Twice (1569–1574), the Protestants troops of the Admiral Gaspard de Coligny plundered the city and the abbey. The abbey church was then transformed into a Protestant temple. Given to the Catholic cult, in 1622, thanks to the Catholic League, the abbey was rebuilt in the seventeenth century by the Benedictine Congregation of Saint-Maur. They reinstate the monastic discipline and it was not until 1663 that the abbey began to function again. The city, again prosperous, erected its opulent mansions. The former Leaguer's created, with the help of the bishops, many brotherhoods.

French Revolution and Empire

The abbey still sheltered six monks when the

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

destroyed the conventual buildings and the

Maurist The Congregation of St. Maur, often known as the Maurists, were a congregation of French Benedictines, established in 1621, and known for their high level of scholarship. The congregation and its members were named after Saint Maurus (died 565), a ...

constructions. The abbey was spared and became a parish church.

Contemporary period

On January 1, 2019, the municipality extended its perimeter to that of Brivezac.

Population and society

Population

Sport

Beaulieu's rugby club was created in 1908: ''Union Sportive Beaulieu ''(U.S.B.). A regular champion of the Limousin, the club participated in several stages of the French championship reaching the semifinals in 1921. During the 2011-2012 season, the club was shown by winning the title of Champion of France in 2nd Series by beating in the final, ''US Josbaig Saint Goin'' (15 to 11), crowning a great season and allowing the club to climb in 1st Series for the season 2012-2013.

Economy

The Beaulieu region produces 400 tonnes of strawberries or nearly 1% of French production. In particular, it feeds the production of jams by the Andros group in its factories in Biars-Bretenoux. A strawberry festival is held on the second Sunday in May, where a strawberry pie is made of 8 metres diameter and 900 kg of strawberries.

Local culture and heritage

Civil buildings

Château d'Estresse

The Chateau was built on a terrace supported by a medieval retaining wall on the Dordogne river, so as to defend Beaulieu and the upper valley from invasions from the river (King

Odo of France Odo (french: Eudes; c. 857 – 1 January 898) was the elected King of West Francia from 888 to 898. He was the first king from the Robertian dynasty. Before assuming the kingship, Odo was the count of Paris. His reign marked the definitive separa ...

stopped the Normans in 889). The Chateau consists of buildings from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, and one can still see a

bretèche In medieval fortification, a bretèche or brattice is a small balcony with machicolations, usually built over a gate and sometimes in the corners of the fortress' wall, with the purpose of enabling defenders to shoot or throw objects at the attack ...

protruding over the entrance gate. The Chateau approached the twentieth century in the state of ruin, but it was restored. It is included in the inventory of historical monuments.

Religious buildings

Abbey Church of St Pierre

Founded in the 9th century by Rodolphe of the family of the Counts of Turenne, Lords of Beaulieu, the abbey was attached to

Cluny Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon. The town grew up around the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 9 ...

in the 11th century. Under the impetus of the

Gregorian reforms The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be nam ...

, the pilgrimages flourished, necessitating the construction of new, better-adapted churches. In 1150, the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

of the new Church of Beaulieu were already completed. The construction would continue until the 13th century. The plan was similar to the others Romanesque churches of the pilgrimages, with a

Latin Cross A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...

, having a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

with

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

s and an

ambulatory The ambulatory ( la, ambulatorium, ‘walking place’) is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th ...

allowing pilgrims, to pray to the saints of their choice in the apsidal chapel without disturbing high

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

. The architect

Anatole de Baudot Joseph-Eugène-Anatole de Baudot (14 October 1834 – 28 February 1915) was a French architect and a pioneer of reinforced-concrete construction. He was a prolific author, architect for diocesan buildings, architect for historical monuments, a ...

carried out restoration work. The church has a nave of four spans. The choir, the southern arm of the transept and much of the nave date back to the original Romanesque phase of the building. The belfry and the central tower are of later,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

construction. The total length of the building is 71 metres, and the width at the transept is 38 metres. The nave rises to 17 metres, while the central tower exceeds it by 6 metres. The most notable feature of the church is the elaborately sculpted south portal, particularly the tympanum. Instead of the usual

Last Judgement The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

, this depicts the

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

, the triumphant return of Christ, and the

General Resurrection General resurrection or universal resurrection is the belief in a resurrection of the dead, or resurrection from the dead ( Koine: , ''anastasis onnekron''; literally: "standing up again of the dead") by which most or all people who have died ...

. A 2.1 metre Christ, his arms spread in the form of a cross, is flanked by the 12 Apostles, while angels above him carry the crown and nails. Meanwhile, other angels sound the trumpet to summon up the dead. Another notable feature is a fine

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

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 structur ...

in gilded wood, dating from 1678, shortly after the refounding of the abbey. It depicts the

Assumption of the Virgin The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic_Mariology#Dogmatic_teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and d ...

. The

treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in p ...

contains a number of important high medieval items, including a

Virgin and Child In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent ...

and two arm

reliquaries A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including '' phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it is housed a ''fe ...

, all made of wood and covered in silver or gold leaf.

Cultural heritage

In its 2017 charts, ''le Conseil national des villes et villages fleuris de France'' (National Council of the Flower Towns and Villages of France) awarded a flower to the commune in the ''Concours des villes et villages fleuris'' (Contest of the Flowers towns and villages). Beaulieusurdordogne20

Personalities

Notable personalities linked to the commune include: * Eustorg de Beaulieu (1495–1552), French poet, composer and pastor *

Jean-Antoine Marbot Jean-Antoine Marbot ( , ; 7 December 1754 – 19 April 1800), also known to contemporaries as Antoine Marbot, was a French general and politician. He belongs to a family that has distinguished itself particularly in the career of arms, giving t ...

(1754–1800), French general and politician, father of generals Adolphe and Marcellin Marbot * Adolphe Marbot (1781–1844), French general *

Marcellin Marbot Jean-Baptiste Antoine Marcelin Marbot ( , ; 18 August 1782 – 16 November 1854), known as Marcellin Marbot, was a French general, famous for his memoirs depicting the Napoleonic age of warfare. He belongs to a family that has distinguished it ...

(1782–1854), French general, author of the famous ''Memoirs of General Marbot'' *

Frits Thaulow Frits Thaulow (20 October 1847 – 5 November 1906) was a Norwegian Impressionist painter, best known for his naturalistic depictions of landscape. Biography Johan Frederik Thaulow was born in Christiania, the son of a wealthy chemist, Haral ...

(1847–1906), Norwegian Impressionist painter *

Asher Peres Asher Peres ( he, אשר פרס; January 30, 1934 – January 1, 2005) was an Israeli physicist. He is well known for his work relating quantum mechanics and information theory. He helped to develop the Peres–Horodecki criterion for quantum en ...

(1934–2005), Israeli physicist

Gallery

Image:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne belfry.JPG, The belfry of the abbey church in Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. Image:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne church entrance.JPG, Southern portal of the abbey church. Image:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne maison Clare.JPG, Maison Clare entrance. Image:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne institution Sévigné fenêtre.JPG, Sévigné institution building window detail. Image:BeaulieuSuenderkapelle.jpg, Chapelle des pénitents on the bank of the Dordogne river. Image:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne (19) Place de la Bridolle - Maison du XVe siècle.jpg, 15th century house, Place de la Bridolle. Image:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne porte Ste-Catherine (2).JPG, Interior view of the Ste Catherine gate. Image:Ménoire Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne Moulin Abadiol D12 aval.JPG, Abadiol mill. Abbatiale Saint-Pierre de Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne-2232.jpg, Nave of the St Pierre abbey church. Image:Retable de la Vierge, Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne-2208.jpg,

Assumption of the Virgin Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...

in the St Pierre abbey church. Image:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne (19) Abbatiale Portail Méridional Tympan 08.jpg, The return and triumph of Christ, depicted on the southern portal tympanum of the St Pierre abbey church. Image:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne maison Calary tour.JPG, Maison Calary tower. Image:Beaulieu - Vue Bridolle.jpg, View of a house on Place de la Bridolle. Image:Gabare op de Dordogne, Frankrijk 2010.jpg, Dordogne riverbank.