THE ROCK OF THE BLACK GUR

One can translate rock of the Gour-noir by rock of the black hole, undoubtedly because of the proximity of the unfathomable gorges of the Luzège. This grandiose site is haunted by the sinister Geoffroy Tête Noire. It was in the 12th and 13th centuries that a fortified abbey was built whose role was both to repel the assailants and to strengthen the power of Christianity over the region. Two of its prior abbots became popes under the names of Clement VI and Gregory XI. But the Hundred Years' War hit the region hard. After the fall of Ventadour, it was taken by Geoffroy Tête Noire, a bloodthirsty mercenary in the pay of the English, who scoured the region for 10 years. Its fortifications were destroyed by order of King Charles VI. Burned down in 1462, rebuilt in 1495, the powerful abbey of yesteryear became a small country church until the cult was moved in 1883. It was later destroyed by fire.