Eymoutiers | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 45°44′24″N1°44′36″E / 45.74000°N 1.7433°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
Department | Haute-Vienne |
Arrondissement | Limoges |
Canton | Eymoutiers |
Intercommunality | Portes de Vassivière |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Mélanie Plazanet [1] |
Area 1 | 70.22 km2 (27.11 sq mi) |
Population (2021) [2] | 2,094 |
• Density | 30/km2 (77/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 87064 /87120 |
Elevation | 316–758 m (1,037–2,487 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Eymoutiers (Occitan : Aimostier) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France.
The foundation of Eymoutiers can be traced back to a church and a monastery associated with Saint Psalmodius (Psalmet), who had been a hermit in this area. A native of either Ireland or Scotland, Psalmodius became a hermit in a small cell in the forest of Grigeas or Grie, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine near Eymoutiers. He acquired the name of Psalmodius (his original Celtic name is unknown) because he loved to sing psalms. [3] [4]
When Psalmodius died, he was buried on the banks of the Vienne River. A church was built over his tomb; later a monastery was attached to it. The monastery was at the foot of the hill ("ayen-moutiers"), a description that turned into the place-name of Eymoutiers.
A settlement developed around the monastery and it fell under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Limoges. A bishop of Limoges built a castle here, but today no traces of it remain. In 1428, Eymoutiers became a bishopric on its own right. Thus free and independent, the city became a walled town.
Eymoutiers subsequently obtained a large Calvinist population. The city walls were destroyed during the Wars of Religion. In 1629, the Ursulines became established in the city on the order of Monseigneur François de La Fayette and a school for girls was established in the city. A school for boys was built later, in 1778, by Monseigneur Louis de Plessis d'Argentré.
At the beginning of the 16th century, Eymoutiers developed into a center for the tanning trade, which reached its apogee in the 18th century. The city had 20 tanneries by 1628, located on the banks of the Vienne. The inhabitants thus acquired the nickname of pelauds (skin-peelers). The local tanners formed a confraternity in the 17th century. It had religious and secular purposes. The brotherhood celebrated masses and did charity work, but also held 5 annual banquets for its members.
During World War II, the Maquis du Limousin operated in Eymoutiers, and on March 13, 1943, French resistance leader Georges Guingouin sabotaged the viaduct of Bussy-Varache, on the Limoges-Ussel railway line. [5]
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1968 | 3,108 | — |
1975 | 2,933 | −0.82% |
1982 | 2,635 | −1.52% |
1990 | 2,441 | −0.95% |
1999 | 2,115 | −1.58% |
2007 | 2,062 | −0.32% |
2012 | 2,052 | −0.10% |
2017 | 2,062 | +0.10% |
Source: INSEE [6] |
Inhabitants are known as Pelauds in French.
Haute-Vienne is a département in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve départements that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The prefecture and largest city in the department is Limoges, the other towns in the department each having fewer than twenty thousand inhabitants. Haute-Vienne had a population of 372,359 in 2019.
Limoges is a city and commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated on the first western foothills of the Massif Central, Limoges is crossed by the river Vienne, of which it was originally the first ford crossing point.
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Saint Psalmodius, also known as Psalmet, Sauman, Saumay, was a 7th-century Christian hermit. Assumed to have been born to a noble family of Scotia, he became a disciple of Saint Brendan as a young boy. Psalmodius, whose original Celtic name is unknown, is said to have been lost at sea for three days as a young boy.
Georges Guingouin was a French Communist Party (PCF) militant who played a leading role in the French resistance as head of the Maquis du Limousin. He was controversial as a result of extortion committed under his authority during the épuration sauvage in Limousin during 1944.
Solignac Abbey, or the Abbey of Saint-Peter and Saint Paul of Solignac, is an abbey in Solignac, near Limoges, in Haute-Vienne. It was founded around 631 AD by Saint Eligius (Éloi). The present buildings date to the 12th century, but have been modified many times since then. The abbey was dissolved during the French Revolution and the buildings were put to new uses, including a prison, boarding school, porcelain factory and seminary. As of 2021 there were plans to restore it back to its original function as a monastery.