Gentioux-Pigerolles


Gentioux-Pigerolles is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France.

Geography

An area of lakes, forestry, quarries and farming, comprising three villages and several hamlets situated in the upper valleys of both the Maulde and Thaurion rivers, some southwest of Aubusson, at the junction of the D8, D992, D35 and the D16 roads. The commune is in the national park of the Millevaches.

Sights

  • The three 12th-century churches at Gentioux, Pallier and Pigerolles.
  • A dolmen.
  • A Roman bridge over the Thaurion at Senoueix.
  • War memorial: after World War I, some towns in France set up pacifist war memorials. Instead of commemorating the glorious dead, these memorials denounce war with figures of grieving widows and children rather than soldiers. Such memorials provoked anger among veterans and the military in general. The most famous one is located in Gentioux. Below the column which lists the name of the fallen, stands an orphan in bronze pointing to an inscription ‘Maudite soit la guerre’. Feelings ran so high that the memorial was not officially inaugurated until 1990 and soldiers at the nearby army camp were under orders to turn their heads when they walked past.
  • An 18th-century house at Pallier, once owned by the notary royal.
  • The chapel of Villemoneix, dating from the 18th century.