Carennac

The village stage on the last slopes which dominate the course of the Dordogne, in a true nest of greenery which contrasts with the aridity of the Causse which dominates it. The river spreads out with its feet its meanders and its islands. In the distance, with north, the last mounts of Corrèze blur and more close, in a marvellous green and gilded circus, the precipice escarpments of Causse of Martel, in the west; glowing mass of the castle of Castelnau, turns of the St. Laurent and the block grisâtre of Césarines, in the east; whilie in the south draws up the formidable barrier of Causse, dominated by the enigmatic ruin of Taillefer. This is this framework, at the same time austere and laughing, arid in the tops, copious in the hollows, this landscape of plains and small mounts, that religious writer Fénelon sang in his " ode with Carennac" and which perhaps inspired some of descriptions that l' one finds in l' epopee of Télémaque (1699).

View from the Dordogne, or from the island of Calypso, or, on the contrary, of the last slopes of Causse, Carennac presents a more traditional aspect, with many houses of the old aspect, its pigeon old men, turns and the enclosure of the Priory. The impression still accentuate when you penetrates in the streets of the village. The streets are narrow and tortuous, of many houses preserve their windows at warheads and mullions, their Gothic doors with wrought iron stop, their turrets of the staircase with pepper plantations, or their openings of the Rebirth, works of an art more refined, less influenced by the local tradition.

The village of Carennac is developed starting from XIe century, after the foundation d' a priory-deanery of the order of Cluny. Situated along the fortifications of the monastery, Carennac preserves many aspects of the Middle Ages. Its Saint-Pierre church is a very beautiful Romance building equipped of a splendid tympanum of XIInd century. Its cloister, rebuilt in XVth century after the One hundred Year old war, shelters in its chapter house famous Mise with the tomb, sculpture of the end of XVe century d' a rare perfection.

In XVIth century, the construction of the castle of the Senior is carried out with his white stone frontage of the country, the mullioned windows, the carved attic windows. The castle is one of the elements of the priory-senior of Carennac, built in XVIth century to be a prestigious housing of the senior.

Rooms and galleries are organized on four levels around a staircase, broad and imposing.

The castle of the Seniors is a quadrilateral of 20 m out of 10, dating from XVIth century, it is a beautiful deprived residence, built out of stone of size, including/understanding, with the roofs, three stages d' apartments. A spiral staircase serves all the height of the building. On the first floor the room of pageantry is situated, best preserved at the current hour. The ceiling with projecting beams of the XVIIth century is painted the rinceaux one, flowerets, baskets and various mythological subjects. The castle shelters now the Space inheritance of the country of the art and the history of the valley of the Dordogne. It presents a permanent exposure in free access, which makes it possible to discover the natural wealth, patrimonial and architectural of this country labellized “Country of the art and the history” by the ministry for the Culture.

Romance construction of the end of XIst century increased in the middle of XIInd of a decorated porch of a superb carved tympanum. This tympanum rests laterally on a beam of four columns acting as pier. It offers to the glances a vision symbolic system end of time. Occupying all the height of the tympanum, Christ in majesty holding the Book and blessing, sat on a richly decorated throne. Symbols of the four evangelists surround while the apostles, divided on two registers, contemplate the celestial vision. The church includes three naves separated by the thick pillars, plus a line of vaults on the northern side. It has about thirty carved capitals of the interlacing and the palmettes. A bell-tower Romance, square, s' raise above transept crossing. Known as of the three dead ones and the three sharp ones, mural representation showing three young gentlemen challenged in a cemetery by three died, which point out the brevity of the life and the importance of the hello of their heart

 Cité dynamics, commercial, with the many artisanal activities. To discover the church of Beyssac (XVème century).

Tourism: at crossed important tourist sites, the village is the turntable towards Martel, Collonges-The-Red, Turenne, Carennac. This privileged site is worth the deposit to it of a rich tourist documentation. Distributed free in the shop of Regional Products " The Storeroom of Quercy": Patrimonial, architectural, environmental discovery of the collection of these marvellous sites.