History
Discover the history of Val-d'Oire-et-Gartempe, a new municipality in the north of Haute-Vienne.
Located in the Haute-Vienne department, in New Aquitaine, and formerly in the Limousin region before it merged with Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes in January 2016, Val-d'Oire-et-Gartempe is also forming part of the “Haut Limousin en Marche” community of municipalities.
Val-d'Oire-et-Gartempe is a new municipality, formed by the merger of four municipalities on 1 January 2019: Bussière-Poitevine, Darnac, Saint-Barbant and Thiat.
Bussière-Poitevine
Halfway between Poitiers and Limoges on the A147 and crossed by the A942 (the Poitiers–Guéret route), BUSSIÈRE-POITEVINE (geographical coordinates: 46° 14' 11'' N 0° 54' 20'' E) is the almost inevitable stopover for residents of the Creuse heading for the Atlantic coast and for those from Poitou heading for the resorts of the Massif Central. The nearest major town is Limoges, situated approximately 60 km away. The nearest railway station is Le Dorat (16 km).
The town's historical legacy is mainly characterised by its castles. The first was built in Champagnac, but it was destroyed in the early 14th century. Today, the remaining castles (private properties) are those of Busserolles (a large tower built in 1470) and Lavaud, built in the 15th century. The Church of Saint-Maurice boasts a funerary slab (the recumbent effigy of a knight) and a terracotta Virgin of Mercy.
The 872 inhabitants of Bussière-Poitevine, known as the Bussiérotes and the Bussiérots, are spread across the commune's 41.71 km². Bussière-Poitevine has managed to maintain a vibrant community life to this day. Agriculture is mainly focused on sheep farming, supported by the holding of regular specialist fairs. Healthcare professionals (a GP, nurses, a chiropodist and a physiotherapist), based at a Multidisciplinary Health Centre, and the presence of a pharmacy give the Bussiérots hope that local healthcare services will be maintained. Two schools cater for 80 pupils. Housing blocks reserved for the elderly complement a proactive policy aimed at retaining residents in the area. The significant influx of English-speaking residents has also breathed new life into the built heritage. Security in the village is ensured by a CCTV system.
Darnac
Bordered to the west for around 10 km by the steep-sided valley of the Gartempe and to the north for around 6 km by the equally steep-sided and wild valley of the Brame, DARNAC (geographical coordinates: 46° 13' 28'' N 0° 57' 38'' E) is also crossed by the Poitiers–Guéret road. Its historical legacy is mainly represented by the former keep and the historical remains of the medieval Château de la Côte au Chapt.
The Romanesque Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste (12th century) is characterised by pre-Romanesque sculptures repurposed for decorative purposes, Romanesque paintings on the west portal, and a timber-framed bell tower (17th century), as well as a gravestone.
The 353 inhabitants of Darnac, known as the Darnachaudes and Darnachauds, are spread across the commune's 25 km².
The parish of Darnac formerly belonged to the Diocese of Poitiers; it has been part of the Diocese of Limoges since the Concordat of 1801. The parish's titular patron saint is Saint John the Baptist, and one of its bells bears the inscription: '✠ Sancte Johannes – Sancta Maria ora pro nobis. In the year one thousand five hundred and twenty-six'. The second bell bears the inscription: “✠ Consecrated in 1819 by the Rev. F. J. B. Sandemoy, parish priest of Darnac. Godfather: Mr Léon Richard de Latour. Godmother: Miss Honorine de Blanc. Mayor: Mr Richard de Latour. Fargeaud, bell-founder”.
The church of Darnac had an annex chapel in the village of Thiat, known as the Chapel of Saint-Léger. This latter place was established as a parish, separate from Darnac, by Bishop Desprez of Limoges on 8 July 1858. Thiat also became the administrative centre of a commune.
The church of Darnac, which is of Romanesque construction, retains on the exterior of its chancel some limestone carvings, and at its entrance door some curious hinges, similar to those of the church at Le Dorat. When the presbytery of Darnac was put up for sale during the Revolution, as national property, Monsieur Sandemoy, the constitutional parish priest, purchased it for the sum of 900 livres on 26 Fructidor Year IV (12 September 1796). (Haute-Vienne Archives, Q. 152). Darnac formerly formed a barony with a castellan judge.
Étienne du Cléré, who married Claude de La Couture in 1509, was Lord of Darnac. His descendants have retained this title. Their coat of arms is azure, a hand open in silver, bordered in gules.
Several authors have reported that King Louis XIII passed through Darnac, where the lieutenant of the Lower Marche went to pay him his respects. This is a mistake. It was near the village of Arnac-la-Poste, in the canton of Saint-Sulpice-les-Feuilles, and not in Darnac, that the monarch passed through, on his return from Toulouse and following the road to Paris in October 1632.
Saint-Barbant
This third commune that makes up Val-d'Oire-et-Gartempe is characterised by the magnificent Étang des Brégères and for being completely adjacent to its neighbour, the commune of Saint-Martial-sur-Isop.
The 344 inhabitants of Saint-Barbant, known as the Saint-Barbanteaux and the Saint-Barbentelles, are spread across the commune's 42.47 km². The villages of Saint-Martial-sur-Isop and Saint-Barbant present an unusual arrangement: their built-up areas are contiguous, and their churches stand only about 200 metres apart. This closeness makes the area unique within Haute-Vienne, where neighbouring villages are generally separated by distances of four to ten kilometres.
The parish of Saint-Barbant formerly belonged to the Diocese of Poitiers. It was only after the division of France into departments that it became part of the Department of Haute-Vienne, and after the Concordat of 1801 it was incorporated into the Diocese of Limoges.
The name Saint-Barbant derives from its original patron saint, Saint Barbant (Saint Barbentius), Bishop of Benevento in Italy, who died on 19 February 682. He is listed in the Roman Martyrology, and the Bollandists published two highly accurate accounts of his life. Instead of Saint Barbant (Sanctus Barbentius), some have suggested that the name refers to Saint Barbara (Sancta Barbara), but this does not seem likely. The feast day of the former is celebrated on 19 February, the day of his death, whereas the feast day of the latter is on 4 December. Barbentius and Barbara are entirely different names, and there is nothing in this case to justify replacing the name of a male saint with that of a female saint.
Today, the church of Saint-Barbant*, which suffered considerable damage during the French Revolution, is in need of restoration. Its patron saints are the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It stands very close to the church of Saint-Martial, and the same parish priest serves both parishes. This church possesses a very remarkable 14th-century host-iron (a metal mould used for making Eucharistic wafers).
In the cemetery of Saint-Barbant, one can still see a funerary lantern, or Lantern of the Dead, consisting of a fine octagonal column with an altar at its base. The upper section, which once formed the lantern itself, no longer exists. The cemetery was planted with walnut trees, and the oil used to keep the lamp burning every night was made from the nuts produced by these trees.
* Why Are the Church Towers of Saint-Martial-sur-Isop and Saint-Barbant So Close Together?
The remarkable proximity of the church towers of Saint-Martial-sur-Isop and Saint-Barbant has long fueled local legends about the lives of the two saints. Historian Nicole Raynaud sheds light on the true history behind these two religious buildings and dispels the myths surrounding them. According to local legend, Saint Martial and Saint Barbant wished to live near one another. This, it is said, explains the unusual closeness of their two churches, whose towers stand within sight of each other. However, their proximity was the result of a rivalry rather than friendship.
The Legend of the Two Hermits
Nicole Raynaud, a passionate local historian, investigated the origins of this striking situation. Through the study of cadastral records, archaeological findings, place names, accounts of the lives of the two saints, and local folklore, she pieced together the story behind the two churches. The most memorable tale is a fanciful legend recorded in the writings of Paule Lavergne, an author born in Mézières-sur-Issoire. As Nicole Raynaud explains: “It is certainly not true, but the legend says that Saint Martial and Saint Barbant were two hermits who wished to live together. And each wanted his own church.” According to the story, Saint Barbant wanted to build his church on the very site where Saint Martial had already established his own. As a compromise, Saint Martial supposedly suggested that his companion throw a hammer from the top of his church tower. Wherever the hammer landed would determine the location of Saint Barbant's church. Referring humorously to this imaginative tale, Nicole Raynaud remarks: “Saint Barbant must have been incredibly strong to throw his hammer 200 metres!”
The Historical Reality
The true explanation is far less romantic. In fact, the territory became the subject of a dispute between the Bishops of Limoges and Poitiers. The ecclesiastical boundary between the two dioceses ran through this area, leading each bishopric to establish and maintain its own parish church. As a result, the two church towers came to stand barely one kilometre apart—and today only about 200 metres separate the churches themselves—bearing witness not to the friendship of two saints, but to a centuries-old rivalry between two dioceses.
Thiat
The boundaries of the municipality are defined by the Gartempe to the west for 2 km and to the north by the Montagne stream, which also marks the boundary between this department and that of Vienne. THIAT (geographical coordinates: 46° 16' 03'' N 0° 58' 30'' E) is also bordered to the south for approximately 6 km by the Brame.
The history of the commune begins with a bishop of Autun named Léger around 650. Having fallen from grace, he was forced to flee and took refuge in the territory of what would become the commune of Thiat. The village that formed there later took the name of Saint-Léger. Crafts such as pottery, glassmaking and blacksmithing developed there. In the 14th century, the village was destroyed by the English. The inhabitants rebuilt it 1 km further south and named it Thiat. The population was predominantly Protestant until the early 20th century, hence the presence of a protestant temple.
Until the time of the Concordat of 1801, Thiat was a dependency of the parish of Darnac, which was part of the Diocese of Poitiers. There was a chapel dedicated to Saint Léger. The parish priest or curate of Darnac would visit to perform baptisms, weddings and funerals for the residents. When this parish was placed within the diocese of Limoges, the same arrangement continued throughout the first half of the 19th century. Then, on 8 July 1858, Bishop Desprez of Limoges elevated the chapel at Thiat to the status of a parish church and dedicated it to the Immaculate Conception. It was around the same time that Thiat was separated from Darnac and established as the parish town.
Thiat was the centre of a local industry which, it is said, had existed since time immemorial. These were pottery workshops producing mainly tubs for washing. Today, this industry has almost completely fallen into disuse.
Its tourist appeal lies in the several mills along the Brame: downstream, the Moulin de Chez Joyeux, the Moulin de la Forge, the Moulin de Guinay, the Moulin de Bram (still in operation), the Moulin du Pétrot and the Moulin de Massugeon; and from the village of Le Breuil, via a footpath leading to the Saut de la Brame: a picturesque natural site with magnificent waterfalls and rocky outcrops at the confluence of the Brame and the Gartempe.
The 164 inhabitants of Thiat are called Thiachons and Thiachonnes and are spread across the commune's 11.35 km².
4 municipalities,
1 local government body
Since 1 January 2019, to better combat the fragmentation of local authorities and with a view to optimising organisation, these four municipalities have merged into a single entity: Val-d'Oire-et-Gartempe.
Sharing a common historical past; Bussière-Poitevine, Darnac, Saint-Barbant and Thiat, which belong to the same catchment area for living and employment, thus gave the impression of perfect geographical continuity.
Belonging to the same Communauté de Communes (“community of municipalities”), namely 'Haut Limousin en Marche', and in order to pool the services essential to the development and fulfilment of their residents, they therefore decided to merge.