Limoges Road

The Road of Limoges to Santiago de Compostela

The history, legends, development and infrastructure of the stations along the French Limoges Road or Via Lemivocensis through Vézelay, Bourges, Limoges and Périgeux to the shrine of Saint James at Compostela

Via Lemivocensis

Via Lemivocensis

The Road of Limoges passed through Burgundy and the centre of France. Its fountainhead was the great basilica Vézelay.

read more
Vézelay

Vézelay

On a lonely hilltop in Burgundy stands one of the most hallowed sites of the medieval world, the shrine of Mary Magdalene at Vézelay.

read more
La Charité-sur-Loire

La Charité-sur-Loire

Fifty miles from Vézelay pilgrims reached the crossing of the mighty Loire river. Visible on the far shore stood the immense church and surrounding complex of the priory of Notre-Dame de la Charité-sur-Loire.

read more
Saint Martial de Limoges

Saint Martial de Limoges

Limoges was an inevitable point of passage. One of the abiding mysteries of the Pilgrim’s Guide is the absence of any mention of  its patron Saint Martial.

read more
Bénévent l’Abbaye

Bénévent l’Abbaye

On the way between La Souterraine and Saint-Léonard, pilgrims could venerate a relic of the Apostle Bartholomew at the Augustinian priory of Bénévent l’Abbaye

read more
La Souterraine

La Souterraine

As pilgrims reached the Limousin region they arrived at the town of La Souterraine, an outpost of the abbey of Saint Martial of Limoges.

read more
Gargilesse

Gargilesse

The town of Gargilesse was situated at the junction of the Creuse and Gargilesse rivers. A Cluniac priory which belonged to the abbey of Déols received pilgrims.

read more
Nevers

Nevers

An alternative route from Vézelay to Limoges passed through the city of Nevers at the crossing of the Loire River.

read more
Bourges

Bourges

There were two routes in particular that pilgrims took to journey from Vézelay to Limoges. One passed through Nevers and the other went via La Charité-sur-Loire and Bourges.

read more
Charost

Charost

Pilgrims reached the crossing of the river Arnon. On the other side they were cared for by the Benedictine monks of the priory of Saint Michel in the small hamlet of Charost.

read more
Saint Révérien

Saint Révérien

Thirty miles from Vézelay on the Compostela Road pilgrims reached the Cluniac priory of Saint Révérien.

read more
Déols

Déols

Pilgrims reached the major Cluniac centre of Déols where the massive church, one of the largest in western Christendom stood above the crypt which housed the magnificent sarcophagus of Saint Lusorius, carved in the finest Italian marble by the craftsmen of Arles.

read more
%d bloggers like this: