SAINT MARTIAL'S CHURCH
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Church located at the bottom of a valley, established since the century, surprising by its imposing mass of blond stones.
The abbey church of Saint-Martial de Paunat is said to have been established at the bottom of a valley as early as the 6th century. It would have been founded by Saint Cybard and attached to Saint-Martial de Limoges in the 9th century, then destroyed by the Vikings and rebuilt in the 12th century. The Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion caused it to suffer further damage. Surprising by its imposing mass of blond stones, this church in the shape of a Latin cross is classified as a historical monument since 1956. It was part of a Benedictine monastery. One enters through a vast porch surmounted by a dome, above a room lit by a geminated bay, itself topped by a second dome. The interior is both austere and imposing with its rib-vaulted nave dating from the 15th century; another dome on a pendant surmounts the crossing. The Romanesque style of the building is also visible in the capitals sculpted with masks and foliage. Above the choir and the transept is a defensive chamber. Every year in August, music lovers attend concerts inside the abbey church as part of the Musique en Sol festival. The village surrounding the church is a collection of beautiful old houses, with charming gardens, including the 13th century Recette house, or the 18th century Hurtevent manor house a little further on. On the other side of the village, you can still see the remains of an important wall, testimony of the medieval defensive system.
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