Saint-Sylvestre offers different ways to explore nature and history: hiking trails pass through forest and pond landscapes, while Grandmont, the granite quarries and the parish church each highlight different aspects of the past. When planning your trip, it is particularly useful to distinguish between the hikes. One route is classed as difficult and takes five hours, while another is shorter and accessible to everyone. This allows you to weigh up nature, culture and the time available before deciding what to focus on during your stay.
Hiking trails with different points of interest
The Chemin des Moines starts in Grandmont, the historic site of the former abbey, and links four ponds created by monks several centuries ago: the two ponds at Les Sauvages, Étang de l’Âne and Étang de Malessart. The trail is 19.5 kilometres long, classed as difficult and takes five hours. The Chemin des Carriers starts in Saint-Sylvestre and covers 9.2 kilometres. The hike is accessible to everyone; check local conditions before setting out. The different planning details help you compare the two: the Chemin des Moines is classed as difficult and takes five hours, while the Chemin des Carriers is shorter and accessible to everyone.
The Chemin des Carriers follows forest paths, passes through typical villages and goes by old washhouses. Its educational trail through granite quarries includes information panels about the quarry workers whose work shaped the region’s history. Preserved traces of granite quarrying, including rails and historic mine carts, complement the information with tangible evidence of work on site. The Gendarmes et Voleurs de Temps race also starts in Ambazac, with most of its route passing through the municipality of Saint-Sylvestre.
Forest and nature reserve
Almost 75 percent of the municipality is covered by forest. The RĂ©serve naturelle des Sauvages, by contrast, covers about 83 hectares and has been a designated nature reserve since 20 November 2015. It protects wild flora and fauna and includes two ponds created by the monks of Grandmont.
Trails lead from the Réserve naturelle des Sauvages to the Tourbière des Dauges and the Chapelle Saint Psalmet.
Grandmont and its history
Grandmont is a village in the municipality of Saint-Sylvestre, at the foot of the 702-metre-high Puy de Sauvagnac. For seven centuries, Grandmont was the centre of an influential religious order and a major abbey, which has now been completely demolished. Visits to the Grandmont site are arranged on request throughout the year. When planning, it is therefore useful to distinguish between the site’s long history and the current arrangements for visiting it.
Granite, church and reliquary bust
The granite heritage can also be seen in the renovated old houses in the villages of Saint-Sylvestre. Many residents’ ancestors worked as quarry workers and stonemasons and helped build numerous buildings in Limoges. The houses and the history of quarrying thus represent two tangible sides of local craftsmanship: the material used in the villages and the work of the people who quarried and shaped the granite.
The parish church of Saint-Sylvestre was built in the 13th century, extended in the 15th century and completed with a bell tower and a sacristy in the 17th century. The reliquary bust of Saint Étienne de Muret is displayed in a niche on a church pillar in the village centre. It is made of repoussé, chased, openwork, cut-out and gilded silver, as well as carved, silvered wood. The church’s architectural history and the bust’s detailed variety of materials and techniques offer two different ways to explore Saint-Sylvestre’s cultural heritage.
Discover more destinations
Saint-Martial-sur-Isop, Saint-Martin-le-Vieux, Saint-Sornin-La-Marche, Eymoutiers, Pierre-Buffière, Oradour-Sur-Vayres, Thouron, Saint-Priest-Sous-Aixe
For the broader travel overview: Haute-Vienne.
