Villages of France: Collonges La Rouge
About twenty kilometers from Brive-la-Gaillarde , on the border between Limousin and Quercy, Collonges-la-Rouge offers an original and unusual spectacle, both for the splendor of its buildings in purple sandstone, against the contrasting green of the valley and for the wealth of its heritage. Collonges-la-Rouge Mornings are probably the best time to visit it; sitting for a moment on the terrace of a café, listening to the village gradually awakening and admiring the sunlight that magnifies this architectural gem. Collonges-la-Rouge The village has very ancient origins. Indeed, the monks of the Charroux abbey in Poitou founded a priory here in the 8th century following a donation from Count Roger de Limoges. The priory was integrated by the Viscount de Turenne in 844 that attracted, under his protection, a population of peasants, artisans and traders. Around its buildings, protected by a fence, the community thrived on pilgrims, heading to Compostela via Rocamadour, as a source of incom...