~  Le Dorat and the Limousin  ~

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Le Dorat is famous for the 12th century Collégiale Saint-Pierre, which is regarded as one of the finest examples of pure Roman architecture in the Limousin. Maison Robert stands opposite this imposing building in which you will see the great organ donated to the Church in 1876 by our house's former owner, Pierre Robert.

Just a few doors from us is the local tourist office from where guided tours of Le Dorat and the Collégiale are available. The tour will take you on a fascinating walk through the alleyways and squares where you will see 16th and 17th century buildings and on through the "Porte Bergère", the 15th century entrance to this once heavily fortified town. From there it is a short walk to see the fountain erected in 1872 as a monument to young sweethearts tragically killed in a coach accident. Then on to what remains of the city ramparts with their terraced gardens and beautiful views over the valley of the Courtoison.

When you have seen the town's heritage, Le Dorat also offers a choice of restaurants, a cinema, tennis courts, porcelain and lingerie factory outlet shops, hairdressers (including a good English one), supermarket, banks, antiques and gift shops.

2009 sees the next 'Ostensions' here in Le Dorat. This is an important religious event held every seven years, where the guilded boxes containing the relics of the two local Saints, Israël and Théobald, are brought out of the Collégiale and paraded around Le Dorat along with processions from other local towns belonging to this 'Canton'. The whole Ostensions start on 15th March and finish with a big ceremony at the Collégiale on 7th June.

Le Dorat is in the Limousin's Haute-Vienne Départment, an area of beautiful open countryide on the northwestern slopes of the Massif Central. The northern part of the Haute-Vienne is dominated by the Monts de Blond and the Monts d'Ambazac, reaching a height of about 700 metres and giving some spectacular views over the surrounding countryside, the beauty of which and its many historical attractions can be enjoyed at your own leisurely pace. Here you can discover the picturesque charms of nearby towns and villages such as Chauvigny, Mortemart, Montmorrilon and Lussac-les-Chateaux.

If you are holidaying in the Limousin there is plenty to see and do. There is an excellent zoo just south of Limoges, a fabulous outdoor bird show at Chauvigny, a monkey "farm", a reptile house and an insect exhibition. For the kids, there's an adventure park not far from Limoges airport. Oradour-sur-Glane, the "Martyred Village" of World War Two is also close to us.

The beautiful city of Limoges, capital of the Limousin region, is less than one hour's drive from Le Dorat. Limoges is famous for its fine and unique porcelain and enamels and houses the Adrien Dubouché national porcelain museum and the Musée de l'Évêché, displaying enamels dating back to the 12th century. Also worth a visit is the beautiful Saint Étienne cathedral and the nearby Musée de la Résistance. Two other spectacular buildings to see are the railway station of the Bénédictins and the town hall with its 42 metre high tower. In the district of "la Boucherie" do not miss the chapel and the Maison Traditionnelle de la Boucherie, a unique museum of butchery.

Also about an hour's drive from Le Dorat is the town of Aubusson, famous for its beautiful tapestries. Visit both the Musée Départmental de la Tapisserie and 'La Maison du Tapissier'.

In the adjoining Poitou-Charentes region, but equally accessible from Le Dorat, is the city of Poitiers with its maze of pedestrianised sidestreets lined with chic boutiques, bookshops, stores and patisseries. Poitiers' most appealing building is the medieval church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande, whose wonderful façade is covered with a cartoon-strip of miniature sculptures. On the outskirts of the city is Futuroscope, an exhilarating high-tech theme park.