Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche - Saint-Yrieix

The "Collégiale Saint-Yrieix" was the center of a collegiate, that evolved from a convent founded by Saint Arédius (aka Saint Yrieix) around 560. The tomb of Saint Arédius was an early place of pilgrimage and a large church got erected from the 11th century on, when the monks had been replaced by a chapter of canons. The oldest parts of the collegiate-church are the Romanesque portal and the tower, seen here.

The town, that had established around the early monastery, grew and was important for the industrialisation of the Limousin. In the 1760s kaolin was discovered here and so the history of the prestigous "Porcelaine de Limoges" started right here.