The attractive old town of Saint-Leonard de Noblat in the Haute Vienne of France has its origins in an interesting saint and later became an important stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostelle in Spain.
Saint Leonard was quite an interesting character as saints go: he appeared in the Haute Vienne in the 6th century and on investigating a commotion, discovered the local nobleman’s wife in childbirth difficulty. He prayed to God to save her and when she duly survived, the grateful man gave him some land as a reward.
He also had a soft spot for the rehabilitation of prisoners long before his time and today his tomb reflects this aspect of his life: a pair of leg irons and manacles are suspended on the wall above the old serpentine lid. As well as being the patron saint of prisoners, he still helps with childbirth and it is said that rubbing the irons will cure infertility.
The town of Saint-Leonard de Noblat grew from those early days, aided by its location on the Via Lemovicensis, the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostelle in the middle ages. The 11-12th century church testifies to its wealth and popularity with Saint Leonards tomb still a focal point today . The church houses various reliquaries which are still paraded. There are also some finely carved 15th century wooden choir stalls with a variety of animal and human figures.
Though today there is an amount of modern urban sprawl round the edges, the old city still remains an attractive place to visit. Crossing the old 13th century bridge, you ascend steeply to the top of the hill; the parking area by the friendly tourist office is a good place to start. They can help with maps and if you are lucky you may coincide with a massepain tasting: the local almond biscuit whose recipe may even have been carried here by the pilgrims as Santiago has a similar version.
The old centre is quite compact and though the encircling walls have long disappeared their route is still obvious. On the south west corner is an old 13th century hopital for pilgrim accommodation; it is worth a look for its fine doors.
Wandering will lead to little squares of half timbered houses, jutting towers and great entrances. Once they came to life for the cow, pig or grain markets, now they have popular cafes. There are many decorative stone details still found high up on the houses, including a fine example of a consuls house opposite the entrance to the church.
The best spot for lunch is the fresh Le Relais Saint Jacques on the edge of the old town with great seating on the terrace and menus from €23.00; they also have rooms. The Restaureau is a down to earth good value alternative opposite the tourist office with menus from 12 euros.
Exchange Rate: £1 = E1.12 (August 2018)
