Collonges-la-Rouge

Collonges-la-Rouge is in Corrèze, south of Brive-la-Gaillarde. Its red sandstone is the defining material of the village, used in houses, towers and larger residences. The architectural ensemble includes Saint-Pierre church, with Romanesque sculpture, and houses whose forms record medieval and Renaissance building traditions. The château de Vassinhac is one of the distinctive residences within the settlement. Collonges is also associated with the beginnings of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, the association founded on the initiative of its mayor Charles Ceyrac. The village belongs to that network today. Its interest extends beyond a single monument to the repeated use of local stone across streets, walls and buildings.

Brontekst in het Engels; Nederlandse vertaling niet beschikbaar.

The colour is immediately memorable, but the differences within it repay a slower look. A doorway, stair tower and church wall use the same material to different effects. Collonges makes geology part of everyday architectural experience. Following these changes in scale is more revealing than searching for one ideal view of the village.