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France - Limousin

A brief summary of Limousin

THE Limousin is a land of upland pastures, forestry and pure water, springing from the region itself or just a little higher in the Massif Central.

Waterfalls, springs and fountains, rivers and streams, flow into the Loire or south into the Garonne, irrigating the green fields and flowing through woodland and gorges...

The abundance of these natural resources explains the industries for which the region has made itself a name: Limousin beef, wool, weaving and tapestry, oak barrel-making and, from the pure kaolin supply, chinaware and enamelling. The region’s three départements, Creuse, Corrèze and Haute Vienne, are ideal destinations for those in search of peace and quiet and unspoilt scenery: ramblers, riders, anglers, golfers, rock climbers, canoeists and watersports fans.

Artists and art-lovers are also drawn here for similar reasons and because the Limousin has a serious share of museums dedicated to all periods of art: from the Aubusson and Felletin tapestries to finely wrought altar-pieces, frescoes and stainedglass, enamelwork, elaborate enamelled casks (châsses), and of course Limoges china.

Many contemporary applications of traditional decorative arts, crafts and industries are still thriving, among them weaving, haute couture, pottery and gold smithing.

If there are few large towns, the countryside is dotted with charming, authentic little villages and, the legacy of the ‘builder monks’ and the masons of the Creuse: castles, manors, Romanesque abbeys and churches.

The region has been muse to many a painter, most famously perhaps the so-called École de Crozant, a school loosely covering all the artists, from Claude Monet to Armand Guillaumin, inspired by the gorgeous gorges along the Creuse river.

In the IVc, many places of Christian worship were built and oratories, built in necropoli at main crossroads, were used as saints’ tombs, like the one in Limoges where Saint Martial was buried.

Religion, still expressed in the seven-yearly processions, called Ostensions, has played a significant part in the region’s history.

The pilgrim’s way to Compostella is signalled by its emblem, the shell of Saint Jacques (Santiago).

Yet, in such a rural setting, many folk traditions, even some superstitions redolent of Georges Sand (who spent time in the Creuse), have managed to survive into the XXIc. The ancient folk songs, called chabrettaires, still ring out at local fêtes.

Fascinating and serene, rich yet unspoilt, the Limousin offers its own brand of quality time.

As with all of France the local currency is the Euro. Whether renting property to move or holiday here, more information about Limousin can be found here.