Monastery of Sainte-Marie de La Règle in Limoges
Abbaye Notre-Dame de La Règle / De Regula
(Limoges, Haute-Vienne)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Although a very early foundation has traditionally been attributed to it, even linked to the figure of Saint Martial, the female monastery of La Règle is not mentioned in documents until the time of Louis the Pious, in a list of monasteries from the year 817. It is likely that this Frankish king sponsored its restoration. During the second half of the 11th century, the monastery suffered a fire and had to be rebuilt; in 1095 it was visited by Pope Urban II, who celebrated Mass there.
Detail of Limoges (Albert Jouvin, s. XVII)
Over time, it became a powerful monastery, with a community composed mainly of daughters of the nobility. Nevertheless, throughout its history, it was affected by social instability, worsened by its location near the Vienne River, in a poorly protected area. Around the mid-17th century, under the abbacy of Jeanne de Verthamont, it underwent a thorough reform and new buildings were constructed, though the church was preserved. The monastery was suppressed during the French Revolution and largely destroyed. The surviving structures were converted into a prison, and in 1815, the Seminary was established there. Some elements of the original construction are still preserved underground today.
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Relief from the church facade (12th century)
Location of La Règle monastery
Plan published in Limoges d'après ses anciens plans
- ARBELLOT, Abbé (1873). Crosse abbatiale et chapiteau. Bulletin de la société archéologique et historique de Limousin, núm. XXII
- ARDANT, Maurice (1837). L’abbaye de La Règle. Revue du Centre, núm. 1. Llemotges
- BEAUNIER, Dom (1912). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 5. Bourges. Abbaye de Ligugé
- DENIS, Julien (2008). Étude documentaire et topographique de la Haute-Cité de Limoges. Limoges
- DUCOURTIEUX, Paul (1925). Histoire de Limoges. Llemotges: Ducourtieux
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1720). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 2. París: Typographia Regia
The monastery of La Règle was located near the cathedral, between it and the Vienne River