ST. LEONARD'S COLLEGE
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Collegiate church with Romanesque architecture from the Limousin region, whose 52 m high bell tower can be seen from all around Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat
The medieval town of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat grew up around the cult of its saint. The patron saint of prisoners, pregnant women and deliverances, Léonard was a very popular saint in Europe, and has been the object of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages. Nearly 1,200 places in 15 European countries claim to be named after this patron saint. The architecture of the collegiate church is specially designed for pilgrims.
Built between the 11th and 13th centuries, the imposing collegiate church is a remarkable example of Limousin Romanesque architecture. Its 52 m-high bell tower can be seen from all around. It elegantly changes from square to octagonal plan, thanks to gable windows. A word of advice: start by admiring the exterior of the building from Place Wilson. This is where you'll get the best view of the Romanesque chevet, with its seven apsidioles and tiered roofs. Enter through the 13th-century west portal, adorned with Limousin moldings and capitals
Inside, admire the pure lines of the nave, the barrel vault, the pendentive domes, the vast choir with its wide ambulatory and 7 radiating chapels, the capitals, the remarkable furnishings: the 15th-century stalls, the treasure, the tomb of Saint Leonard above which hangs the famous Verrou. For barren women, it is said that you have to touch the Verrou to have children! Don't miss the evening illumination of this beautiful monument.
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C'est un monument incontournable à Saint Léonard et un lieu de passage pour les pèlerins allant à Saint Jacques de Compostelle.