Église Saint-Goussaud

Saint-Goussaud

In the centre of the village, the church of Saint-Goussaud is a modest, composite building. A polygonal porch-tower, built or rebuilt in the 19th century, precedes a single nave of three bays: the first two are covered by a pointed barrel vault of the 13th century, the third by a ribbed vault of the 15th; two chapels open on either side, to the north in the 15th century, to the south in the 17th, and the flat east end was rebuilt in the 16th. In 1158, Itier, abbot of Lesterps, gave the church to the bishop of Limoges. The place owes its name to Gonsaldus, a 7th-century hermit who came from Auvergne, a disciple of Saint Priest, bishop of Clermont: according to tradition, he lived as a shepherd on the nearby Puy de Jouër, died in 689, and his tomb attracted a popular cult. The scholar André Lecler pointed out, beneath an arch set into the wall, a burial place believed to be his. The church keeps a polychrome wooden statue of the saint accompanied by a recumbent ox, which the Palissy record dates to the 17th century (other sources say 18th): pins are stuck into it to ask for the protection of livestock or for a marriage. The pilgrimage takes place on Whit Monday, with a procession to the lantern of the dead. A medieval reliquary said to come from the abbey of Grandmont is also recorded. The lantern, 5.50 m high and dated to the 12th or 13th century depending on the source, was moved from the old cemetery and listed as a historic monument in 1914.

Wikipédia — Église Saint-Goussaud de Saint-Goussaud ↗

Getting there : The church is in the centre of the village of Saint-Goussaud; parking is available in the village (to be checked). Surroundings freely accessible; days and opening hours of the church to be checked. The lantern of the dead can be seen a few steps from the church.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound