Saint-Bonnet-la-Rivière travel guide

Visit Saint-Bonnet-la-Rivière (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France)

Saint-Bonnet-la-Rivière is a small village in the west of the Corrèze department (Nouvelle-Aquitaine region), south of Ségur-le-Château and north-west of the large town of Brive-la-Gaillarde.

Explore Saint-Bonnet-la-Rivière

France This Way review: visitors come to Saint-Bonnet-la-Rivière to see the unusual church, but while you are here you should also take a stroll around the small village, which has some attractive houses

The first church was built in Saint-Bonnet-la-Riviére in the 11th or 12th century, next to a castle, although this was destroyed by a fire in the 17th century, and a new church was built. This church, that we see today, is unusual because it is round with a large round structure at ground level and a smaller round structure above.

The rectangular addition is the sacristy, and the main entrance is 'behind' the church as you arrive. There is a statue in the entrance porch although the head of the statue is missing.

Inside the church follows the round layout with a nave in the centre of the circle surrounded by columns and arches. There are several interesting items inside the church, including a 15th century statue of the Virgin and a 17th century tabernacle.

You will notice that the inside of the upper level of the church in Saint-Bonet-la-Rivière is decorated with false marble, that was added in 1870 and is not very beautiful. There is a plan to replace this so might be removed by the time of your visit...

Elsewhere in the village, as well as several pretty houses, there are two notable attractions:

There has been a castle in Saint-Bonnet-la-Rivière since at least the 14th century, when it was under the conrol of an important local Lord called Guillame de la Riviere. It retained its importance during the following centuries, and in the 17th century the lord at the time was elevated to the status of Count.

The castle remained in the ownership of the same family until the revolution, when it was partly destroyed. This original structure had an imposing living accommodation with two round towers and a square tower, and walls enclosing a courtyard.

Unfortunately all that remains of this original sructure is a part of one of the towers, now incorporated in a more recent manor house. The castle is not open to the public, but you can peer through the gates to see it!

The street of Maisons de Vigneron (houses of the winegrowers) calld Rue des Balcons contains some attractive houses.

These are built from red stone, and have the facilities for wine production and storage on the ground floor, as well as a large arched door providing access from the street and and external staircase leading to the upstairs, where living accommodation is found.

Once a major local industry, the arrival of phylloxera in the 19th century destroyed almost all of the vines, and the houses subsequently found other uses.

Attractions nearby

Among the most interesting places to visit near Saint-Bonnet-la-Rivière are the pretty villages of Saint-Robert and Segur-le-Chateau, and the very charming historic town of Uzerche.

You can find more travel ideas in the Correze guide and the Limousin guide.