Dungeon, Manor and Salle Garden to visit in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère

Are you on a walk in the very pretty village of Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère in the Vézère Valley? Take a few hours to enter the bucolic and historic setting of the Donjon, Manoir and Jardin de la Salle. This tourist site opens the doors to a noble lair typical of Périgord. With its sumptuous and imposing slate roofs, its characteristic golden stone and its romantic adjacent garden, it is a place of history and culture, where many curiosities are to be discovered. At the top of the square tower, the walkway offers you an unparalleled panorama of the village! The whole is furnished with taste and the discovery will please the whole family, especially children in the attic... Follow us for a taste of the visit!

Photos of the report: Guide du Périgord

A remarkably preserved heritage in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère

Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère is one of the gems of the Vallée de l'Homme. In Périgord Noir, it is nestled in a meander (a loop) of the Vézère river and classified among the "Most Beautiful Villages of France". We like to walk there to stroll peacefully in its flowery streets, to be surprised by the shops/workshops of the many craftsmen who have found there more than a refuge, a muse! Park in the car park, as soon as you arrive in the village you will be captivated by a cedar with a haughty bearing, which seems to protect a superb noble house and its dungeon: This is the Dungeon, Manor and Garden of the Hall!

What do we know about this place? It remains for the moment surrounded by a few mysteries. Built in the 14th century (the Square Tower, the Manor and its dwellings date from the 15th), of Romanesque architecture, it was a dwelling inhabited in the Middle Ages. If it displays defensive vocations with its battlements, its walkway at the top of the keep, its pierced merlons (between the battlements), ready to accommodate shooting weapons, its stunner, it remains primarily a place of residence comfortable and modern for the time (with 2 latrines please!). Revamped by its former owners until the 19th century, it reopens in 2021 after its acquisition by Mr. Touron, owner of many heritage and cultural sites in the region (La Roque-Saint-Christophe, the Maison Forte de Reignac, in particular). The place is classified as a Historic Monument.

The latrines are the growths on the left! From the top of the square tower, the view is splendid.

The front bedroom for guests and the Great Hall

Visit of the mansion and the dungeon

Go through the studded gate, which was closed to the public for 10 years, to enter the first small garden. The set seems smaller than it is in reality, count 2 hours of visit and 3 hours or more, if you want to take advantage of the park and the saving shade of its large cedar.

I recommend that you visit the house first, so that the view from the top of the keep remains the highlight of the show! On the site, you can browse with curiosity, open, touch (with respect for the furniture and exhibits). It is a living and educational museum. The visit is free, a small booklet with a map will be given to you at the entrance. Panels punctuate the discovery of each room and signs detail certain objects. Everything is furnished and decorated, arranged like a large cabinet of curiosities with some very amazing utensils and instruments!

The kitchen and its small adjacent garden, very pleasant for a break.

The panels make it possible to understand the use of each space and the distribution of the rooms.

We visit bedrooms, a kitchen and reception rooms, you will take wide spiral staircases in the house and the Dungeon which serve these spaces. They are sumptuous, weathered by time and the footsteps of 25 generations of occupants and visitors. The interior of the Manor is very bright, which confirms its residential vocation and gives the whole a very warm side. The children loved spending time looking at each object, especially the clocks, medallions and other artifacts containing human remains!

The magnificent spiral staircases! Weathered by time...

A cabinet of curiosities for lovers of the genre

A real meteorite, dating from the 16th century

We arrive at the attic, which seems like a room like the others. You are welcomed in a small cabinet which serves a large dark room with a surprising, extraordinary host! You dive into the world of fantastic and mythical animals, in vogue since antiquity. They fascinate us, scare us, they are so well anchored in our collective imagination that we sometimes wonder if they ever existed? This exhibition of relics from a fantastic bestiary will put you in doubt. “Is that a real hypogriff bone, Mom??? »

The Fantastic Beasts exhibition will thrill fans of the world's most famous wizard... :)

Visiting the dungeon and its unique view of Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère

It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful views of the village! Climb to the very top of the Dungeon of the Manoir de la Salle, to slip between the beams of the framework and go to sneak on the walkway, between two battlements. Whoaaaaaaa!!
Then raise your eyes to appreciate the meticulousness of the fittings of the massive frame, which has the merit of supporting the hundreds, thousands of kilos of the sumptuous slate roof. Lauzes are cut stones, traditionally used as tiles in Périgord. For this reason, the roofs are steep (nothing to do with snow): the steeper the slope, the lower the tension on the frame.

The sumptuous frame that supports the slate roof

Nice view from the top of the square tower. Yes, it's a little... bent over?

As you ascend the dungeon, you will pass through new chambers, cabinets, and halls. You will appreciate the herbalism, where in season, workshops will take place. We invite you to explore the latrines (but not to use them…) and to take pictures everywhere, at the locations provided for this purpose. Play the game!

After the visit, explore the garden. Boxwood, roses, shrubs and this sumptuous Cedar over 3 centuries old and 8 meters in circumference! A truly remarkable tree. In the garden, which continues around the architectural ensemble, places to rest, rest, take your time and daydream...

The great highlights of the year (Halloween, Easter, etc.) can be found at the Donjon, Manoir and Jardin de la Salle. The site is open from April to the end of the All Saints holidays. Come and visit during your visit to Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère!