Church of Saint-Michel de Lion ( Fr. Saint-Michel-des-Lions ) - one of the four main churches of the French city of Limoges . Lions in the name of the church appeared due to two [1] stone lions of the Gallo-Roman era, taken from the fence of the ancient cemetery, and from the XIII century standing at the southern gate of the church. The church is known for keeping the relics of the first Bishop of Limoges and the patron saint of Aquitaine, Martial of Limoges , in the crypt behind the altar, which, together with the relics of other saints, once in seven years, solemnly sweep through the streets of Limoges as part of an ostensive procession held at the Feast of the Saints .
| Church | |
| Church of Saint-Michel de Lion | |
|---|---|
| Église Saint-Michel-des-Lions | |
 | |
| A country |  France |
| City | Limoges |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Diocese | Diocese of Limoges |
| Building type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic architecture |
| Building | 1364 |
| Relics and Shrines | The relics of St. Martial |
| Status |  Classified ( 1909 ) |
| condition | active church |
Content
Building History
Initially, there was an ordinary chapel on this site, surrounded by a cemetery, where the monks of the abbey of St. Martial began to be buried after the cemetery of the abbey itself was filled. The place for the cemetery and the chapel was chosen on the top of the hill, and the chapel was dedicated to the archangel Michael , hoping that he would warn the townspeople about the dangers from the height of the hill. Subsequently, a parish church was built on the site of the chapel, which, like the other buildings of the Château city quarter (the so-called “secular” part of the historic city center, dominated by the Viscounts of Limoges ) suffered from a major fire in 1112 (according to other sources in 1122).
Stone lions, which nowadays stand at the gates of the modern church, occupied their place here as early as 1286 [2] .
The rear churches in its modern look are made in the Gothic style and its construction was begun in 1364 [3] . Further reconstructions were undertaken in the XIV and XV centuries. The church is crowned with the so-called Limousin bell tower (like the Limoges Cathedral ), which ends with a funny metal ball. The peculiarity of the Limousin bell towers is that at their base they have a square in projection, turning into an octagon as they rise, and the top is always crowned with a copper ball that performs the routine function of a lightning rod.
From an architectural point of view, the building of the church is a hall temple , since the nave and side naves communicating with each other have approximately the same width and height. The tall nave is supported by graceful thin columns.
Relics of the Church
The relics of St. Martial , whose relics are still especially revered by pilgrims, are now kept in this church. The care of the relics of Saint Martial is entrusted to the Great Brotherhood of Saint Martial , as well as to the Brotherhood of the bearers of raki . This church also houses the relics of St. Lupe (Bishop of Limoges, who died in 637) and St. Valeria , who are taken care of by two separate brotherhoods. These relics are kept in separate tombs behind the altar, built in the 19th century from limestone, in the decoration of which scenes from the life of Saint Martial and his miracles are used. The remains of the saints were transferred to the church from the tombs of the abbey of St. Martial .
Church Interior
The church has a colorful interior. Among the interior elements can be particularly noted:
- Two Pieces Dated to the 15th Century
- Two stained glass windows of the 15th century showing the life of John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary
- Statue of St. Valeria of the 15th century
Notes
- ↑ Allou, 1821 , p. 170
- ↑ According to the Nadaud Chronicle.
- ↑ Allou, 1821 , p. 172.
Literature
- Charles Nicolas Allou. Description of structures of different eras in the department of Haute-Vienne = Description des monumens des différens ages: observés dans le département de la Haute-Vienne, avec un précis des annales de ce pays. - P. Chapoulaud, 1821 .-- 372 p.
- St Michel des Lions Limoges XIVe XVe siècle. - Limoges: Imprimerie Touron et fils, 1980.
Links
Fraternity carriers raki (FR.) . Official site. The appeal date is December 27, 2012. Archived January 26, 2013.