THE
MEDIEVAL CITY
and
THE
STREET
ALLOIS
In Limoges, the district of La Cité was that of ecclesiastics and notables. Nowadays, it remains very residential.
The brand image of La Cité is due to the quality and homogeneity of the buildings, the presence of prestigious monuments such as the Cathedral and the Bishop, but also to its privileged location overlooking the Vienne and its immediate proximity to the city center while remaining sheltered from its agitation.
The narrow cobbled streets, lined with constructions of three to four levels all in stone or half-timbered on the floors, with ornate entrance doors lead to the forecourt of the cathedral, a mineral, monumental and ceremonial space. The apse of the cathedral is on the other hand set in the botanical garden, the largest in the city center, presenting the plants by family.
In the district of La Cité, stood, in place of Les Allois and from number 4 of the street, the Saint Genès church. It was burnt down in 1105 during the struggles between the inhabitants of the Château district and those of the La Cité district.
The town planners of Sainte-Claire, or Poor Clares (then Grandes-Claires from 1659) settled in 1619 at the current number 8 of the street.
The Franciscan nuns built their chapel, completed in 1641 on the former site of the Saint-Genès church.
The Grandes-Claires being suppressed in 1750, the Benedictine community of Allois (which gave its name to the street) occupied the abandoned monastery from then on. During the french Revolution, the buildings were sold as national property.
The house at 2 rue des allois was once an orphanage for boys.
The medieval city today.