La Siauve

(S/E) From the car park in the centre of Beyssac, walk to the town hall and take the small sunken path to the left of the road, opposite the buildings. It then runs to the right of the small pond and leads to the road.

Pink markings, route no. 8.

(1) Opposite the farm buildings, turn right for 50 metres, then take the path on the left.

(2) At the junction, turn left towards the ford. Cross the small bridge on the left and follow the path which climbs to the right, then continue straight on.

(3) At the very top, turn left and follow the path along the edge of the apple orchard. Leave the path on your left and continue to the D7E3 (beautiful view), crossing two streams.

(4) Take the road (D7E3) to the right, then take the third turn-off to the hamlet of La Siauve on the left; this street becomes a sunken lane a little further on. Cross a stream and turn left (altitude 346m) and continue for about 250m.

(5) Follow the small path that branches off to the left and leads onto a road heading towards Le Mazet. Leave the buildings on your right and follow the path down to the junction, without crossing the stream.

(6) Turn left towards the ford. Cross over the two posts. The path climbs back up, passing the Petite Loire.

(7) Continue to the road, where you turn left towards Les Besses, until you reach the Pont Noir, which spans the Petite Loire.

(8) Before the bridge, which you leave on your left, turn right towards Les Monts. Monument to Pope Innocent VI.

(9) Take the path behind the buildings to the road, then follow it to the left as far as La Mazelle.

(10) In the village, turn left towards Beyssac (S/E).

Pink signposting, route no. 8.

During the walk, you will visit the Monts site, which was one of the branches of the Pompadour National Stud Farm, where the breeding of Limousin cattle in particular flourished.
Nearby, discover the Chartreuse de Glandier, a site with architecture unique to the Limousin region, which has served in turn as a Carthusian monastery, a forge and the scene of the ‘Lafarge Affair’, and more recently as a care home for adults with disabilities.
The Domaine de la Rivière, formerly a mare stud of the Pompadour National Stud, where the Anglo-Arabian breed was established – a breed that for many years was one of the jewels in the crown of Arabian and Anglo-Arabian breeding (now privately owned).

Pope Innocent VI oversaw the reconstruction of this church between 1352 and 1362. It is a very simple building, much like the pope himself, a determined reformer who began by tackling the Curia’s lavish lifestyle and tightening the purse strings of the cardinals.
The Head of the Church was born in Beyssac towards the end of the 13th century; Étienne Aubert was a professor of law in Toulouse in 1335. Bishop of Noyon, then of Clermont, he was made a cardinal by Clement VI in 1342. Having become Dean of the Sacred College, he was elected Pope on 18 December 1352. He died on 12 September 1362. He had founded the Collège Saint-Martial in Toulouse for schoolchildren from the Limousin region.