The history of Bellac, in the department of Haute-Vienne, goes back to the 10th century. At that time, the town developed around its castle, of which nothing remains today. Yet traces of Bellac's past can still be seen in its hilltop houses and picturesque side streets. Set off to discover its history by following the walking circuit around this characterful town, with explanatory signs along the way. This will show you its particularly interesting religious and craft heritage. Let's start with the 12th-century Church of Our Lady of Bellac, which has the oldest reliquary shrine in Limousin. Another example is the Chapel of Our Lady of Loretto. The spire on its bell tower reaches a height of 25 metres. During your walk, give in to your curiosity and stop in front of a hide dryer, a reminder of the leatherwork that once took place there.
As for the stagecoach path (chemin des diligences), this will take you to the banks of the River Vincou which runs through the municipality, and to a hill that is said to have inspired Jean de la Fontaine's fable The Coach and the Fly. Don't forget to cross the old Pont de la Pierre bridge which spans the river and happens to be one of the oldest medieval bridges in France. Made of four arches, this humpbacked bridge was part of a trade route in the Middle Ages.
Jean Giraudoux was born in the town and his house is open to the public. If you take the time to visit, you will be able to see many documents and memorabilia about the writer.
Village-étape, Bellac is a commune of New-Aquitaine which takes place in the department of Haute-Vienne. Also labeled Station verte de vacances, tourist resort and city of character, it is located in the north of Limousin, forty-five kilometers from Limoges and about seventy kilometers from Poitiers.
The city was formed as early as the 10th century around a castle built on a rocky outcrop and now disappeared. An important commercial city throughout the Middle Ages, it was attached to the crown of France as early as the first half of the 16th century. Sub-prefecture of the department, Bellac is today mainly a tourist town appreciated for its architectural heritage and its numerous cultural festivities.
Verte, the city is also full of parks and other natural sites that bring a particular charm to this harmonious and welcoming.
Bellac is a city strong in architectural monuments of exception, testifying to the richness of the city over the course of history.
Classified in the inventory of Historical Monuments, the church of Notre-Dame-de-Bellac was built between the XIIth and the XIVth century. Originally, the religious edifice served as a chapel to the Counts of the Marche, local lords. Enlarged between the 14th and 15th centuries, the church reveals a beautiful mixture of Romanesque and Gothic styles. Inside, you can admire the baptistery supported by three lions, as well as beautiful twisted columns. A shrine of the XIIth century, oldest reliquary of all the Limousin, also takes place there. It was made by the enamel workshops of Limoges. On the esplanade, in front of the building, you will appreciate the baptismal vat of the 7th century, classified to Historic Monuments. Nicknamed the Pille, it presents an asymmetrical plan as well as vestiges of an oblique size.
The Chapel of the Penitents, formerly Chapelle Saint-Jean-Baptiste, dates from the beginning of the XVIIIth century. It was previously the seat of the prayers of the Sisters of the Cross who have disappeared from the commune of Bellac.
Walking in the commune of Bellac, you can admire the town hall which takes place in the old castle of Barthon de Montbas and which dates from the XVIIth century. The sub-prefecture also deserves a stop. It is housed in a former mansion of the 18th century.
Remains of the town's ramparts can be admired in certain places, such as Consul Génébrias' tower, for example, dating back to the 16th century, or old medieval entrances to the town, such as the Porte Trilloux and the Porte de la Prade. In the old center of Bellac, houses of the fifteenth and eighteenth century still stand proudly, including the timber-framed buildings that surround the church on the site of the old castle. Here, mazes of alleys plunge you into another era.
The town of Bellac also has an old stone bridge of the thirteenth century, as well as a drier of 15th century skins. Tanneries were indeed present on the territory from the thirteenth century, becoming one of the main economic activities of the municipality.
Verte, Bellac is also full of natural spaces, including parks such as Jolibois and its heartland. At the entrance of the town hall, the town hall park also offers a statue of Jean Giraudoux, the child of the country whose native house can still be admired. Marked hiking trails allow to discover the town and its surroundings, while the banks of the Vincou have been arranged for the entertainment of the inhabitants and the visitors. There are fishing grounds, picnic tables, games for children and a small basketball court.
The biggest weekly market is held on Saturday morning, two other markets take place on Wednesdays and Thursday mornings. Every first Thursday of the month the city offers its local fair, while Christmas markets are organized in December. The ovine breeding fair is held every two years, in odd years, in September, and summer markets are also set up in July and August.
Every year between the end of June and the beginning of July, the national festival of Bellac highlights the theater, cinema and music. Created in 1954, it pays tribute to the French author originating from the city, Jean Giraudoux.
A lamb festival takes place every year in June or July.
Sportive, the city organizes its own tennis tournament in July.
In September, the Nocturnes of Bellac offer original and guided city tours.
Spectacle Folklorique Lous Sautadours Dau Vincou
- On 1 may 2024
- Centre Culturel Municipal des Rochettes, Rue des Rochettes
- The Groupe Folklorique de Bellac Lous Sautadours Dau Vincou will host its traditional show on May 1,2024, starting at 3pm at the Centre Culturel des Rochettes in Bellac. (Free admission). - We'll be sharing the stage with Groupe Folklorique Les Bordins de l'Arnon from Saint-Georges-sur-Arnon (36). - Come and join us !!!
Carnaval de Bellac
- On 4 may 2024
- In the town center, costumed parades and floats, strolling, live music, participatory workshops, refreshments, foodtrucks, funfair.
Vide Grenier et Exposition
- On 5 may 2024
- Avenue Jean Moulin, Parc Charles Sylvestre
- Many private individuals will be selling items they no longer need. Come and browse, you might just find what you're looking for ! The association Les Volants Anciens du Haut Limousin will also be on hand with an exhibition of vintage cars, motorcycles and tractors.
Sortie Ramassage de Déchets
- On 12 may 2024
- Parc de la mairie, Place de la République
- Join the Municipal Youth Council and do something for the planet ! Take part in the second edition of the "waste hunters", with collection equipment provided by SYDED, and your waste weighed. A snack will be offered to participants at around 5pm. Don't forget to bring a fluorescent vest and register !
Festival Première Goutte - Concert Nuttea
- From 17 to 19 may 2024
- Centre Culturel des Rochettes, Rue des Rochettes
- On Saturday May 18,2024, get ready for a blast of reggae and dancehall vibes at the CCM des Rochettes in Bellac. As part of the Première Goutte festival, the Feuille D'Eau association invites you to an epic evening with Nuttea and Selecta Antwan. The promise ? A night of 100% reggae and dancehall sound systems that will shake the walls !
Festival National de Bellac - DJ Régine Tonic'
- On 3 july 2024
- Jardins du Cloître, Rue Lafayette
- REGINE is style, sound and selection ! - It's Nancy Sinatra on acid and Patti Smith on speed, Iggy Pop on codeine and Nick Cave in the attic. - Every one of Régine's mixes is a treat for the ears and a slap on the ass ! Since 2019, she's been melting dance halls and increasing lumbago problems by over 50% in every town she's visited. - Garage, 60 ? s, Psyche, freakbeat, Soul, Groove, Postpunk, Electro, Synth wave… Depending on mood and mood, it's all there !
Festival National de Bellac - Des Petites Phrases Courtes ma Chérie
- On 3 july 2024
- Rue Lafayette, Théâtre du Cloître
- A poetic, choreographic duet of daughter-mother chronicles the end of life. - In the out-of-this-world space-time of a retirement home, a woman writer invites us to pay a final visit to her mother. She reveals the complexity of their relationship through feelings as cruel as they are infinitely tender. The grip of old age and the apprenticeship of separation are woven into a poetic, choreographic form in which the daughter ? S narrative is articulated to the mother ? S dancing body. A sensitive and tormented testimony to the survival of human beings, it crystallizes a whole reflection on the end of life.
Festival National de Bellac - Boule Jukebox
- On 4 july 2024
- Parc Charles Sylvestre
- Starting with a surprise birthday concert on the theme of La Classe Américaine, the Boule duo was born when Elodie Robine and Raphaël Perrein, friends and electro music colleagues since a long time, could feel the immense pleasure of making the audience (and their balls) dance to all their favorite tunes. - Not a single hit with less than 5 million views please. - And it's a great performance, because all the songs and themes are done without any tricks. - That day saw the birth of Roby, a singer-server on roller skates, and Waffle, her sidekick with boundless audacity…
Festival National de Bellac - Concert The Hyènes
- On 4 july 2024
- Avenue Jean Moulin, Parc Charles Sylvestre
- On the road to rock'n'roll, we often come across unusual characters who walk in the wrong direction, following their own path and looking at the world as a ridiculous comedy. There are those who end up stopping somewhere, and others who keep going like carefree kids who are not afraid of anything. The five musicians of The Hyènes are the latter. Brought together by Albert Dupontel in 2006 to plot the soundtrack to his film Enfermés Dehors, Vincent Bosler (guitar), Denis Barthe (drums), Jean-Paul Roy (guitar) and Olivier Mathios (bass) got down to business. What was supposed to be a fleeting encounter turned out to be the beginning of an adventure that continues to this day.
Festival National de Bellac - Avant la France, Rien
- On 4 july 2024
- Rue Lafayette
- My mother used to say : "When you give the word, you have to take it". So I took it. At the age of 5, Anne-Cécile had to leave her native Peru for France. In this story, she reconstructs her childhood memory, that of a crossing that contains everything in a family and personal history, but she also evokes the broader historical, social and political context of human migration. Between emotion, humor and indignation, she delivers a fragile and sincere testimony, a direct speech that speaks to the spectator eye-to-eye. With her partners Sophie Fougy and Johann Mazé ? They have created an installation combining intimacy, plastic and sound, in which this testimony weaves together and echoes other journeys into exile.
