Discovering Mortemart, near Cieux.
Welcome to Mortemart, labelled by the association of the Most Beautiful Villages in France.
Discover all year round a heritage rich in glorious history.
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Immerse yourself in the History of France!
The origin of the name Mortemart would be Roman or Gallo-Roman, because of its location in a marshy plain, "Mortuum Mare" meaning dead sea.
-The Dukes' Castle
This beautiful flowery village developed around the castle built in the 10th century by Abon Drut, Lord of Mortemart.
The castle was the birthplace of an illustrious family, of which Françoise Athenais, Marquise de Montespan and favourite of Louis XIV, is one of the best known.
Dismantled by order of Richelieu, the second floor of the towers and the main building have disappeared.
The building was bought back at the end of the 19th century by the de Mortemart family, to whom it still belongs.
Discover today the tower of the dungeon and some of the rooms that have become exhibition spaces.
Cardinal Gauvin, a native of Mortemart, made the village an important religious centre.
He founded three convents in 1330:
the Carthusian monastery,
the Carmelite convent
and the Augustinian convent.
-The Carthusian monastery, dedicated to prayer, has been destroyed. Its precise location is unknown.
-The Carmelite Convent
This 14th century convent was intended to accommodate pilgrims. The central wing houses two monumental granite and wooden staircases dating from the 17th century.
The right wing of the convent is now home to an artists' residence where you can visit the studios.
-The convent of the Augustinian order, which ran a college, also dates from the 14th century, although its current façade was rebuilt in ashlar in the 18th century by the Broussaud brothers, famous architects from Limousin. A string of granite entrance doors reveals the fountain of the former farm (14th century) with the cardinal's coat of arms.
Discover
-The Church of Saint Hilaire
Formerly the chapel of the Augustinian convent, the church of Saint-Hilaire is home to many treasures, including beautiful 15th century oak stalls, paintings on wood and a gilded wooden lectern dating from the 17th century.
-The market hall
This building is typically Limousin, the hall dates from the 18th century, it was built with local materials and has twelve pillars which support a beautiful four-sided roof structure. It is simply placed on the ground on one side and on a wall on the other.
The Halle de Mortemart is a reminder of the town's flourishing commercial past, with its monthly fairs and weekly market.
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Sports activities and beautiful walks !
-Mortemart Golf Club
The Mortemart Golf Club offers a 9-hole course, a clubhouse and a bar with terrace in a green setting 1 km from the village.
-For an immersion in nature, hiking and mountain biking.
From the Auberge
Take the time to discover the area from our hotel to Mortemart with a long and beautiful 25 km hike. Starting from the Mairie de Cieux, stage 1 of the GRP des Monts de Blond between Cieux and Mortemart.
This hike or bike ride crosses a wide variety of landscapes: forests, meadows and wild moors and allows you to discover the numerous rocky chaos with astonishing shapes and stones of legends with a panorama on the Monts de Blond.
You will also find, starting from Mortemart, 3 signposted paths:
the Étangs trail, 4 km, one hour's walk, 2 red lines
the Grands Champs trail, 6 km, 1 hour 30 minutes walk, 2 blue lines
le sentier des Moines, 20 km, 7 hours walk, yellow, then yellow and red markings
Documentation on the routes is available from the Haut-Limousin Tourist Office 05 55 68 12 79
www.randonnée-hautevienne.com
-Guided carriage rides around the village
Hire of donkeys to accompany you on your walks
6, place du Couvent des carmes
87330 MORTEMART
06 85 09 32 75
