THE
'Red City' is a fusion of two neighbouring cities, which grew up separately
over the centuries, after the sack of Augustoritum during the Barbarian
invasions, and were not united until the French Revolution.
 One
is the ancient cathedral quarter, rising up above the river banks.
The Gothic cathedral of St Etienne still dominates the scene, despite
having lost its spire, struck by lightning in the XVIc. It is surrounded
by the gardens of the bishop's palace, which has vast subterranean
passages. The Musee de l'Evéche inside the palace displays
fine enamels dating back to the Xllc, as well as Egyptology, a lapidary
collection and paintings by Auguste Renoir, who was born at Limoges
in 1841. Excellent exhibitions are staged here, such as the International
Biennial of Contemporary Enamel.
Nearby is the Musee de la Resistance, commemorating the exploits of
the maquis, which was very active in the Limousin. Many of the Resistance
fighters took part in the liberation of Limoges itself (on August
21, 1944).
The Gothic Flamboyant architecture of the monumental Portail Saint
Jean looks ethereal floodlit at night. Midway between here and the
second of the two original cities are the enamel workshops, from the
Boulevard de la Cite, through the Rue Raspail and dotted along the
Rue des Tanneries. The craftsmen will happily explain their techniques,
handed down from one generation to the next.
The second city is more extensive and its character more elusive.
Because of large-scale town planning started in the XVIIIc by the
intendants royaux (powerful regional administrators appointed by the
King), its underlying mediaeval structure is only gradually being
restored. This was the centre of political power, known as "the Chateau"
- the Royal Town, ever at odds with the Bishop's City opposite. Limoges
is an architectural melting pot, from the Jesuit severity of the XVIIc
Gay-Lussac Chapel's main door, to the Art Deco surrealism of the Pavilion
de Verdurier, a former cold store.
In counterpoint is Limoges' famed main railway station, crowned with
its campanile and copper dome, like some latter-day mosque. Amid this
curious medley one glimpses the mediaeval soul of the city, in the
pedestrian precincts around the church of St Michel des Lions and
the chapel of St Aurelien. The splendid Cour du Temple takes one back
to the Renaissance, while other epochs are reflected in such features
as the Presidial, the Fontaine des Barres square, and the picturesque
quarter of the Ancestral Guild of Butchers. |
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