The municipality of Viam, in Corrèze, covers 3151 hectares and has a large number of hamlets with a total of nearly 115 people. Mount Salvy dominates to 844 m, while the village of Viam is 670 m.
Viam Viamos be inspired by a man Gallic or so from the Latin meaning Via the road.
Viam is located on the Millevaches plateau, a vast granite area where the rivers originate, Vienne, Corrèze and Vézère.
It is in 1048 appears the word "Millevaccas" Mille or sources, which corresponds to the geographical reality of the plateau, a real water tower. But another interpretation is given "Miauvatsas" which means thousand cows and a huge pasture: the platform is indeed very large and there is also a lot of cows, Limousines!
When the visitor ready ear he hears the rustle of the water, and Viam he discovered, in addition to the Vezere, a large body of water 183 hectares, that of Monceaux the EDF dam built between 1939 and ferrule 1945.
A walking tour and VTC of 18 km goes around this lake with its water sports, fishing, its beach and family camping. Other tourist trails, which wind through the woods, you can discover local fauna and flora, but also several ponds.
And then there is the granite cross erected at the crossroads and the entrance of villages, a well gatehouse eighteenth century, unique in the region, old water mills...
Near the church are stored Roman relics, as this period has left many traces in the municipal area. You can admire a column 1.86 m high, which was probably located at the inner corner of a peristyle a funerary box receptacle and its lid, and finally another funeral chest on 1m30 0.53 receive three urns, unique in France and classified since 2013. These remains are in very good company: that of St. Martin of Viam church.
Parish Viam existed around 1000. In 1106, it will be allocated to the abbey of Tulle and his boss will be the mother of the Abbey Saint Martin of Tours. The present church was built in the twelfth century, as its general structure evokes. It is built on a rocky promontory, all very thick walls resting on it. Inside, the original ceiling was wooden, as in many Roman churches. In the fourteenth, it will be replaced by a vaulted Gothic stones with ribbed vaults. This transformation vaults will affect the overall architecture, the vault of the bell tower side will collapse. Thus in the seventeenth buttresses must be added on the north facade, east and south in order to contain this additional burden. This Gothic style is also found outside the main entrance and on the right side door. In the bell tower sway two bells, one of 212 kg dating from 1581 and another 239 kg of 1866. In 1976, the church of Viam is classified in full, as historical monuments, for his architecture that combines the Romanesque and Gothic styles, but also to help in its restoration. Between 2011 and 2013, a general restoration will be undertaken by the municipality with the active support of the association Les Gens de Viam *, created in 2003 to preserve the collective memory and heritage of Viam. This will also be the opportunity to leave the imprint of the twenty-first century in the church, with the creation of contemporary stained glass by artist viamoise Genevieve Fourgnaud. October 14, 2014 in Paris the "Special Jury Award" of Heritage Ribbons are awarded for the restoration of St. Martin of Viam church. In 2015, the church Viam included in the list of winners of the 26th national contest for safeguarding the heritage of the Society for the protection of landscape and aesthetics of France. * The book "The Church of Viam, for those who restored" published by the association is always available.
