Manoir de Rigoulène

English translation

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History

The cartulary of Aureil Abbey, dating from the 12th century, mentions for the first time the name of Rigoulène as a property held by the lords of Noblat on behalf of the bishops of Limoges, their overlords. At the end of the 15th century, Rigoulène was acquired by Mathieu Dalesme, merchant and burgher of Saint-Léonard. The construction of the present dwelling dates probably from this period. The manor consists of two parallel buildings framing an interior courtyard closed to the east by a wall pierced by a wide gate and, to the west, by a gallery allowing communication between the lateral buildings. To the north, a circular tower contains a spiral staircase and, to the south, a rectangular building formerly served as a chapel. The reception and service rooms open onto the interior courtyard and are distributed at ground floor level. The two upper storeys house the bedrooms. On the ground floor, an old drawing room is entirely covered with painted wainscoting in distemper, polychrome on a grey ground, dating from the 18th century. A vast Renaissance chimney is displayed in the former chapel. It comes from Grandmont Abbey and was brought back by architect Brousseau charged with demolishing the abbey at the end of the 18th century.