This 30-minute visit has some good surprises in store, even for locals who have never visited this place steeped in history like Jean-Paul, Limougeaud for half a century. “It’s Really Good” he says as he leaves. So we can play tourists on our land.
The butchery eco-museum restores the traditional house of a butchery family from the 19th century. Housed in a 13th century house, it is a witness to this society that was then well established on the street… To the extent that it built its own chapel, Saint-Aurélien, which has survived the centuries.
Bleu Villette
“All houses were butchers, 52 of them belonged to 6 families living in the community” says guide Eva. In the front, there were quarters of meat hanging from the eyes, there was no problem with hygiene yet. The logs are still there, as are tools like the tenderizer or wolf tooth hooks. There was no refrigerator, but the refrigerator, invented in the 19th century, allowed meat to be stored cold. In the shed, the meat was turned into terrines and sausages.
The butcher is ready to serve us in his traditional blue Villette outfit, borrowed from the Parisian butchers of La Villette slaughterhouse. Animals have long been slaughtered in the back of the shop, the tools can still be seen next to the stable. “Everything was recovered, fat for preserving meat, blood for sausages and skins, stored in a dryer to be resold to glove makers, for example.” says Eva.
In the butcher’s dining room, the table is beautifully set with beautiful china for the esteemed guests
On the 1st floor, visitors admire a table set for special guests with porcelain plates and silver cutlery. “The decorative fireplaces were not lit Eva notes, they showed the wealth of these families. » On the second floor, a small bed where people slept sitting up seems to have awaited the return of the butcher and his wife. The decor is loaded with portraits of ancestors and a number of pious images and crosses. Nice goatees, one for every event in life, show that the traditional headgear has been refined among the butchers.
One room brings together dozens of cutting tools as well as postcards to better immerse yourself in the history of Rue de la Butcherie. The clothing of the penitents from the Dead Leaf, terrifying at first glance, reminds us that the butchers were doing charitable work towards the poorest.
“Very informative visit”
At the exit, visitors are excited. Maud, Frédéric and Célestin, originally from a village near Soissons, are on a week’s holiday in Cognac-la-Forêt. Every summer this family sets off to discover a corner of France. After Ardèche, Burgundy, Brittany and Dordogne comes Haute-Vienne. “Before I left I found out what there was to see and the tourist office pointed us to the butchery area Maud elaborates. It is interesting to preserve the memory of these butchers. »