Canonical chapter of Saint-Martin de Brive
Chapitre de Saint-Martin de Brive / Briva / Brives
(Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corrèze)
The present-day church of Saint-Martin de Brive, which for many years served as the seat of a regular canonry, has very ancient origins. Its development, as well as the introduction of the cult of Saint Martin of Brive, is attributed to Bishop Ruricius of Limoges († 507). This figure, about whom little is known, is believed to have been a disciple of Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397).
This place of worship is already mentioned by Gregory of Tours († 594) in his History of the Franks. At that time (late 6th century), Bishop Ferreolus of Limoges rebuilt the church, which had been destroyed by fire. The site was probably in charge of a community of canons, probably secular. During the first quarter of the 12th century, the canons — who may, in their final phase, have followed the rules established by the Council of Aachen in 816 — adopted the Rule of Saint Augustine. The canonical community had the appropriate structures for communal life: chapter house, refectory, dormitory, among others. The canonry was secularised in 1574 and remained so until the Revolution.
The church standing today was built between the 12th and 13th centuries, although it underwent numerous modifications and reconstructions. It is a three-nave building with six bays, a transept, and a chevet with three apses facing the naves (the central one reconstructed), and two more opening into the transept arms. A notable collection of capitals is preserved. During the Gothic period, further alterations were made, such as the vaulting of the church and the western portal. The bell tower was rebuilt in the 19th century. Archaeological excavations in the subsoil of the church and its surroundings have uncovered remains of the original building and a necropolis in use between the 6th and 8th centuries. No other dependencies of the canonry are preserved.
Western portal
Sarcophagi in the crypt
Reliquary of a companion of Saint Ursula (13th century)
Engraved copper plate (13th century)
The church in 1876
Archives de la Commission des monuments historiques
- BARBIER, Emmanuel; i altres (2017). Les sarcophages de la nécropole Saint-Martin de Brive : particularités et aménagements, fin Ve siècle-VIIIe siècle. Archéologie du Midi médiéval, vol. 25
- BEAUNIER, Dom (1912). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 5. Bourges. Abbaye de Ligugé
- CANTIÉ, Geneviève; i altres (2007). Brive-la-Gaillarde, église Saint-Martin. Congrès archéologique de France, 163e session, 2005, Corrèze. Société française d’archéologie
- LEFÈVRE-PONTALIS, Eugène (1923). Brive. Église Saint-Martin. Congrès archéologique de France, 84e session Limoges. Société française d'archéologie
- MACARY, Marie-Madeleine (1970). Saint-Martin de Brive. París: N.E.L.
- MASSONI, Anne (2012). La collégiale et le chapitre Saint-Martin de Brive de leurs origines à la Révolution. Bulletin de la Société scientifique, historique et archéologique de la Corrèze, vol. 134
- MAURY, Jean (1960). Limousin roman. La Nuit des temps, 11. Zodiaque
The former canonry of Saint-Martin is located in the centre of Brive-la-Gaillarde