The French Archaeological Society (SFA) held its annual congress in the department, on the theme “Churches, castles and mansions from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the Creuse”.
The fixed point chosen was Aubusson, with the Cité internationale de la Tapisserie. Archaeologists, but also art historians, architects, Chartists… they have admired and deciphered the local heritage treasures. Its president, Jacqueline Sanson recalled that “since its foundation in 1834 the SFA, each year, visits a department, with a theme over five days, studies the monuments then publishes the results, endeavoring to highlight the studies and most recent works. Before this 181 e session, a passage in Creuse had taken place for the congress of 1865, “which was divided between Cahors, Limoges and Guéret, where the 3 e party”, and in 1921, on the occasion of another in Limoges, for an excursion.
In the program. After the SFA General Assembly, visits took place in Lupersat, Évaux-les-Bains, Chambon-sur-Voueize, Felletin, Lavaufranche, Boussac, Toulx-Sainte-Croix, Villemonteix, Étangsannes, La Croix-au- Bost in Saint-Domet, Ahun, Guéret, Saint-Michel-de-Veisse, La Souterraine, for their churches, castles or commanderies. Visitors to each site were enlightened by presentations by specialists. For the abbey church of Bénévent-l’Abbaye, Éric Sparhubert, among other things, recalled the link to be made between this monument and that of Dorat, while the Commanderie de Paulhac, in Fursac, was described by Claude-Andrault-Schmitt for its architecture and by Christian Davy for his murals.
Organization and meetings. The SFA met members of the Society of Archaeological and Historical Natural Sciences of the Creuse, founded in 1832, two years before the SFA, as well as the Heritage and Landscape Service of the Territorial Strategies Pole of the Department. Rosine Cleyet-Michaud, General Secretary of the SFA, and Frédérique Bon, General Delegate, ensured the logistical coordination of this congress. Eliane Vergnolle, vice-president, honorary professor of History of Medieval Art at the Lycée Paris IV and the University of Besançon, coordinated the scientific preparation of the congress. With enthusiasm, among the participants, Pierre Garrigou Grandchamp, historian in civil architecture of the medieval habitat of the XII e at XIV e century describes: “We are seduced by the landscapes, due to the peasants who draw them. We see the richness of very large buildings, including superb churches in Romandie, or chapels of the Hospitallers and the Templars”. For Alain Barbier, architect of the heritage of Sarthe: “It makes you want to come back, we will come on vacation for one or two weeks”. 145 years of congresses are brought together in the digital library of the BNF Gallica.
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