Châlus

Châlus

The château of Châlus Chabrol

Coat of arms
Châlus

Coordinates: 45°39′21″N 0°58′53″E / 45.6558°N 0.9814°E / 45.6558; 0.9814Coordinates: 45°39′21″N 0°58′53″E / 45.6558°N 0.9814°E / 45.6558; 0.9814
Country France
Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Haute-Vienne
Arrondissement Limoges
Canton Châlus
Intercommunality Monts de Châlus
Government
  Mayor (20082014) Alain Brezaudy
Area1 27.98 km2 (10.80 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 1,731
  Density 62/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 87032 / 87230
Elevation 310–444 m (1,017–1,457 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Châlus (Occitan: Chasluç) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France.

History

Mort de Richard Coeur de Lion
Richard I of England lethally hurt in Châlus (right)

Richard I, King of England was besieging Châlus in 1199 when Pierre Basile wounded him with a crossbow bolt; Richard died of the wound.

In 1275-1280, Géraud de Maumont built a second castle, Châlus Maulmont, in front of Châlus Chabrol. Chateau Châlus Maulmont was damaged extensively during the French Revolution, and was dismantled in 1790, then used as a prison. The tower of Châlus Maulmont collapsed on March 20, 1994.[1]

By 1745, the first map, in the 1/8628th, of Châlus is established to appear in the atlas of Trudaine for the majority of Limoges, with the portion of road at the level of La-Ribière going to Châlus of the Big road from Limoges to Périgueux [2] and with the portion of road reaching the majority of Périgord.[3]

T. E. Lawrence, who would later be known as Lawrence of Arabia, celebrated his 20th birthday at the former Grand Hôtel du Midi, Place de la Fountain, on August 16, 1908, whilst tracing the route of Richard I of England, on a cycling tour of France in preparation for his thesis: The Influence of the crusades on the European military architecture at the end of the XIIth century.

Sights

Châlus has a castle named Château de Châlus-Chabrol and a ruined castle named Château de Châlus-Maulmont.

Richard's entrails are still preserved in the chapel, and there is a medieval garden. Other attractions of the village include a museum dedicated to the chestnut.

The biggest Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron Giganteum) in Europe, with a circumference of 13.3 m, is in a private garden.[4]

Inhabitants are known as Chalusiens.

Personalities

Raymond de Châlus takes part in the 1st crusade of Saint Louis in 1250.

See also

References

  1. Chalus Maulmont on www.culture, data base Memoire
  2. Map of Châlus of the atlas of Trudaine On www.culture.gouv.fr
  3. Map from Chareille to Firbeix of the atlas of Trudaine on the Archim data base of ministère de la culture
  4. Paronomio, the Giant sequoia of Châlus
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