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

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

''; ) 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 In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

, 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 ...

. 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 Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

of St Pierre, of which only the abbey church remains. On 1 January 2019, the former commune

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...

(The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association.

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

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

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 ...

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- ...

is 37 km north.

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 ...

is 38 km away and Collonges-la-Rouge is 20 km to the northwest.

Aurillac Aurillac (; ) is the prefecture of the Cantal department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. Geography Aurillac is at above sea level and located at the foot of the Cantal mountains in a small sedimentary basin. The city is b ...

(

Cantal Cantal (; or ) is a rural 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-Flou ...

) 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 to be the Order of succession, rightful successor to a demise of the Crown, deceased or deposition (politics), deposed monarch. The rivals are ...

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

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

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

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, 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 series of civil wars during t ...

, 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, 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 Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

was consecrated in 860. Like those at nearby

Uzerche Uzerche (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Corrèze Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region of central France. In 1787, the English writer Arthur Young described the town as "the pearl of ...

and

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 ...

, the abbey of Saint Pierre at Beaulieu was a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

foundation and flourished largely because of its proximity to the Way of St. James. The first monks came from the abbey of

Solignac Solignac (; ) 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 the former A ...

, 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 th ...

, 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 (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Lot (department), Lot. Figeac is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Figeac is on the via Podiensis ...

, 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 a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

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 Saints Peter and Paul. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with t ...

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 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 conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. The

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

completed the process of the decline of the abbey. The abbey suffered attacks by the Protestants during that war. In 1569, soldiers of Admiral Coligny attacked the town and ransacked the church and abbey over eight days. They destroyed the woodwork, the statues of saints, the abbey’s books and archives, stained windows, bells and took the shrine of Saint Prime and Felicien. The protestant soldiers returned to ransack the abbey in 1574 and again in 1581. The monks had by then retreated to the safety of their chateaux in Astaillac. The abbey church was then transformed into a Protestant temple. Now under the control of the protestant Viscount of Turenne, the protestant religion took hold in the town and the porch was hidden behind a market hall, the western entrance walled up, and services held in French. In 1586, the Catholic army under

Charles, Duke of Mayenne Charles de Lorraine, duc de Mayenne (26 March 1554 –3 October 1611) was a French noble, governor, military commander and rebel during the latter French Wars of Religion. Born in 1554, the second son of François, Duke of Guise, François d ...

recaptured the town and the remains of the abbey returned to the monks. 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. The abbey was returned to the control of the Saint Maur Benedictines in 1663 when the Emmanual-Theodore de la Tour-d’Auvergne took over as abbot and concluded an agreement with former returning the monks to the new order. The monks had, after the religious wars, lost their religious ways, and resisted the takeover of the abbey by bishops and a parliament in Bordeaux. The new order brought about the repairs of the church, its statues and altar pieces and the abbey buildings. The city, again prosperous, erected its opulent mansions. The former Leaguer's created, with the help of the bishops, many brotherhoods. The

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

under Claude Faber established themselves in 1622 as did the

Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of women that in 1572 branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula. The Ursulines trace their origins to th ...

in 1633 who sought to educate girls.

French Revolution and Empire

Prior to the revolution, the town was part of Viscounty of Turenne, subject to his rule and they paid no tax to the French Crown. That changed in 1738, when the viscount sold his viscounty to

King Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

, to pay off his debts, and the town's of the viscounty including Beaulieu, returned to the king and his tax system. The abbey still sheltered six monks when the

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

destroyed the conventual buildings and the Maurist constructions. The abbey church was spared and became a parish church. Part of the vault collapsed in 1808 and in 1889, the square in front of the abbey church was cleared and created.

Contemporary period

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

Brivezac Brivezac (; Limousin: ''Brivasac'') is a former commune in the Corrèze department in central France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne.Odo of France Odo (; c. 857 – 1 January 898) was King of West Francia from 888 to 898. He was the first king from the Robertian dynasty, the parent house of the House of Capet. Before assuming the kingship, Odo was the Count of Paris, since 882. His reign m ...

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 atta ...

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 ...

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. 1050–1080, 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 (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

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 ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

of the new Church of Beaulieu were already completed. The construction would continue until the 13th century. The plan was similar to the other Romanesque churches of the pilgrimages, with a Latin Cross, 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 a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s and an

ambulatory The ambulatory ( '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 century but by the 13t ...

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 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 ...

. 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 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 is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

, this depicts the

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christianity, Christian and Islam, Islamic belief that Jesus, Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his Ascension of Jesus, ascension to Heaven (Christianity), Heav ...

, the triumphant return of Christ, and the General Resurrection. A 2.1 metre Christ, his arms spread in the form of a cross, is flanked by the 12

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

, 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 Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

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 ...

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 on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

. The

treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

contains a number of important high medieval items, including a

Virgin and Child In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...

and two arm

reliquaries A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported or actual physic ...

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

(1847–1906), Norwegian Impressionist painter *

Asher Peres Asher Peres (; January 30, 1934 – January 1, 2005) was an Israeli physicist. Peres is best known for his work relating quantum mechanics and information theory. He helped to develop the Peres–Horodecki criterion for quantum entanglement, as w ...

(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 on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of whether Mary died or whether she was ra ...

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.

References

External links

Official Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaulieusurdordogne Communes of Corrèze Corrèze communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia