LIMOGES
. Founded by the Gauls as an oppidum overlooking the Vienne River, Limoges (Haute-
Vienne) became a crossroads of major highways during the Roman period, when it was
known as Augustoritum. With the invasions of the 4th century, the population center
shifted eastward toward the cathedral of Saint-Étienne, which became the hub of the cité,
the bishop acting as the primary authority and protector of the town. The abbey of Saint-
Martial was founded with the support of the Carolingian monarchy in 848 at the saint’s
tomb site, and a second urban agglomeration, the château, soon developed under the
control of the abbot and the viscount of Limoges, a vassal of the duke of Aquitaine. This
division was formalized by the Treaty of Paris of 1259, by which Louis IX ceded the
château to England while the episcopal cité remained under French control. Throughout
the Middle Ages, Limoges was wracked by rivalry, even open warfare, between its
constituent halves. The devastating sack of the cité by Edward, the Black Prince, in 1370
during the Hundred Years’ War was perhaps Limoges’s darkest hour.
Saint-Martial and the cathedral were the premier edifices of the city. The abbey was
one of the great monastic centers of medieval Europe, known particularly for its
contributions to the development of liturgical music. Rebuilt after a fire of 1053 and
destroyed in 1794, Saint-Martial adopted the choir plan with an ambulatory and radiating
chapels and vaulted superstructure seen in elite Romanesque churches, such as Saint-
Sernin, Toulouse, and Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral of Saint-Étienne belongs to
the Gothic period: its western tower was erected ca. 1240 above an early 11th-century
porch; the choir was begun ca. 1270 by Jean Deschamps, master mason of Clermont
cathedral, or a close follower; the transept and eastern bays of the nave were realized in
the early 16th century. In contrast to the northern French pattern of the cathedral, the hall-
church scheme of Saint-Pierre de Queyroix (late 13th-early 14th c.) and Saint-Michel-
des-Lions (14th-15th c.) looks to architectural traditions of southwestern France.
Medieval Limoges is best known for its exquisite enamels. From the 11th century on,
products of the city’s workshops, ranging from large reliquaries and liturgical utensils to
delicately wrought jewelery, were exported throughout Europe.
Michael T.Davis
[See also: ADÉMAR DE CHABANNES; ENAMELING; HUNDRED YEARS’
WAR; JEWELRY AND METALWORKING; MARTIAL OF LIMOGES; RELICS
AND RELIQUARIES]
Davis, Michael T. “Le chœur de la cathédrale de Limoges: tradition rayonnante et innovation dans
la carrière de Jean des Champs.” Bulletin archéologique du Comité des Travaux Historiques et
Scientifiques n.s. 22 (1989):51–114.
Ducourtieux, Paul. Histoire de Limoges. Limoges: Ducourtieux, 1925.
Fage, René. La cathédrale de Limoges. Paris: Laurens, 1926.
Gauthier, Marie-Madeleine. Émaux limousins champlevés des XIIe, XIIIe et XIVe siècles. Paris:
Prat, 1950.
Grenier, Paul-Louis. La cité de Limoges, son évêque, son chapitre, son consulat (XIIe–XVIIIe
siècles). Paris: Picard, 1907.
Lasteyrie du Saillant, Robert de. L’abbaye de Saint-Martial de Limoges: étude historique,
économique et archéologique. Paris: Picard, 1901.
The Encyclopedia 1041