Brive-la-Gaillarde



Brive-la-Gaillarde is another charming town to the far east of the Dordogne region. Its places of interest are contained inside an inner ring road and, as the centre ville is mostly pedestrianized, it makes things easy for the visitor. Brive got its nickname, the Gallent, from the Hundred Year War between France and England from 1337 to 1453 over the succession to the French throne when, for most of that epic struggle, it was a lone, valiant French stronghold surrounded by the English forces. My first stop was Brive's central church, the Collégiale St Martin, an 18th century Romanesque edifice. Its striking inwardly sloping rather massive pillars support the nave and reach up to a stone cross-ribbed ceiling. I next called on the Labenche museum, housed in a stately 19th century building, and admired its wonderful collection of 17th century tapestries and Gallo-Roman bronzes. In its art section there was a sensational painting of Napoleon leading his conquering army through the St Bernard pass in the Swiss Alps in May, 1800.

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