Limoges-Bénédictins

Limoges-Bénédictins is the city's primary railway station. It is on the Orléans-Montauban railway line. It was called Bénédictins after a Benedictine abbey that was closed during the French Revolution. In the 1850s, the CF du PO established the city's first railway line. The first station, constructed on wood, opened on June 16, 1856. In 1860, the first stone-built station opened.

Roger Gonthier, the architect, created the Bénédictins station. The station is notable for being built above the 10 railway lines rather than adjacent to them. To support the station structure, a massive 90 by 78 metre platform was erected above the railway. The structure is composed of a concrete skeleton that is filled with limestone. The dome that covers the passenger concourse is composed of a copper-covered metallic structure. A 67-metre-tall clock tower with thirteen storeys stands on the southwest corner. It is supported by a dome, which is supported by a five-metre-tall vase. There are four 4-metre-wide clocks beneath these.

The first two stories are offices. The view from the top floors is breathtaking, taking in the city of Limoges, the agglomeration, and the Vienne valley. The town hall, the churches of Saint-Michel and Saint-Pierre, the Gay-Lussac high school, the city of Coutures, the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Limoges, the Bastide, The Technopole, and the castle of the Bastide are all visible.

Location: Limoges, France