The Louyat Cemetery represents a unique heritage in the world with hundreds of porcelain burial slabs that speak to the living. If not by far the largest in France, as we think (Pantin is 107 ha), the cemetery that can be visited is huge for a medium-sized city with 40,000 graves and 200,000 deceased.
The oldest part, which runs along the Boulevard des Arcades, contains beautiful porcelain plaques. They recall the history of the industry that made Limoges famous and pay tribute to these workers and painters who specialized in funerary art. These objects demonstrate exceptional technical and artistic know-how.
The deceased is sometimes depicted in his room, surrounded by his family.
In fashion throughout the century
Whether round, rectangular, square or heart-shaped, these
plaques tell the story of the deceased. The first appeared in 1820 and lasted for a whole century. “The oldest are rectangular points out Anne-Claire Dubreuil, guide and lecturer at the tourist office of Limoges Métropole. With the invention of the calibrator by the engineer Faure, they became round. »
In 1840, thanks to porcelain shops, they spread to all social classes, their price was more affordable. Some have retained their luster over time, others have fallen, been broken or stolen. Each conveys a feeling, emotion and representation of the afterlife with themes and symbols that have evolved over the years.
Long epitaphs recall the pain of the death of a loved one, as here, where a wife longs to find her husband.
The two-hour tour allows participants to step back in time. Along the paths and sections, the boards reveal romantic settings combining gardens, weeping willows and pansies. The scenes are more tragic when the deceased is on his deathbed surrounded by his family. Angels accompany the youngest, such as the plate of Marie Ranta, who died in 1864 at the age of 10, decorated with porcelain pearls. Little Henry Roche, a cathedral minister who died at the age of 12, is accompanied by his friends at dawn. Death also takes the form of skulls or skeletons reap the fate of a loved one.
Sometimes the plaque is not big enough to write an epitaph. We juggle typography to leave a lasting message. The grieving wife of Jacques Bathias, a former postal worker who died in 1862, left a personal note, trusting in their reunion. The plaque also commemorates the heroic act of this fire chief sergeant “died as a victim of his courage and self-sacrifice” in a fire in the La Motte district in 1864.
“Nice and relaxing”
The grave of the Catel sisters, Jeanne-Eugénie, who died at 19 and Léona at 24, touches on these poppies and ideas like a Japanese print. The ivory portrait, a shade difficult to reproduce, shows the mastery of their father, who made a living by the craft. The memory of Justin, a young porcelain maker, was honored by his colleagues. “They joined forces to make his plaque with a little fire decoration of roses and pansies, which took a lot of work” specifies the wizard.
Members of the Haviland family, who made porcelain in the United States possible, are buried in the square, where no porcelain plaque commemorates their industrial career. These Protestants rest under simple tombstones without representation, in accordance with their religious affiliation.
The two youngest Charline, 12 years old, and her sister Lily, 14 years old, from Ardèche, were particularly interested in the visit. “I like visiting cemeteries admits the youngest I didn’t know these plaques were there, it’s very nice and relaxing. » The eldest left with an idea “It is very beautiful, especially the paths with the vegetation, and it makes me look for my family to create my family tree. »