Lanterne des Morts
MonumentHidden Treasure
Lanterne des Morts, located in Cherveix-Cubas (Dordogne), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Cherveix-Cubas, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.2960, 1.1261
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082490
Rare medieval lantern of the dead standing in the cemetery of Cherveix-Cubas, this hollow ashlar stone column once illuminated the Périgord night with its silent flame, an eternal guardian of the departed.
History
In the heart of the Périgord Blanc, in the peaceful cemetery of Cherveix-Cubas, stands a deceptively discreet monument: the lantern of the dead. A tall, hollow ashlar column, it belongs to a family of funerary monuments that are among the most enigmatic of the French Middle Ages, of which only a handful survive in the whole of France. Its presence in this village in the Dordogne is a heritage event in itself. What sets this lantern of the dead apart from many other rural buildings is precisely its unclassifiable character. No ornament betrays an architectural fashion, and no inscription dates it with any certainty. It exists in a kind of serene timelessness, reinforced by the absolute sobriety of its form: a cylindrical shaft, four windows at the top to let the light shine through, a small low door through which the servant went up each evening to light the flame, and a stone cross to crown the whole. Everything here is functional, everything is symbolic. The experience of visiting is that of an intimate encounter with a vanished practice. To stand in front of this column in the village cemetery is to reconnect with the medieval community that watched over its dead by light - convinced that the flame guided wandering souls and protected the living from the terrors of the night. The silence of the place, barely disturbed by the wind in the cypress trees, makes for particularly striking contemplation. The setting of Cherveix-Cubas, a discreet village in the north-east of the Dordogne, adds to the uniqueness of the visit. Away from the main tourist routes of the Périgord region, the Lanterne des Morts offers itself to those who take the trouble to seek it out, rewarding the curious visitor with an encounter with one of the rare monuments of this type preserved in the whole of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
Architecture
The lantern for the dead at Cherveix-Cubas is a hollow column made entirely of local cut stone, probably Périgord limestone, a traditional material in the region. Its general shape is that of a cylindrical shaft, slightly swollen at the base, rising to a height of several metres in the typical configuration of lanterns for the dead in central-western France. The sober construction, with no mouldings or decorated capitals, reflects a pared-back Romanesque aesthetic, entirely focused on the symbolic function of the building. The upper part of the column is pierced by four small windows arranged in a cross, oriented towards the four cardinal points to diffuse the light from the lantern in all directions. This carefully thought-out arrangement meant that the flame could be seen from the surrounding roads and from the village. A small, man-high door at the base of the shaft gave access to the hollow interior space of the column through which the servant climbed - probably using bars or sealed spikes - to feed and maintain the flame each evening. The whole structure is crowned by a stone cross, a religious and architectural feature that underlines the sacred nature of the monument. Unlike the more elaborate lanterns for the dead found in Poitou and Charente, the one at Cherveix-Cubas has no sculpted decoration, no arches or ornamental canopy. This extreme simplicity brings it into line with the oldest examples of the genre, and gives it an austere presence that is particularly moving in the village cemetery environment.
Related Figures
Saint Odon de Cluny — abbé clunisien du Xe siècle auquel la tradition attribue la recommandation d'illuminer les cimetières chrétiensLes bâtisseurs locaux anonymes — maçons périgourdins médiévaux, artisans d'une architecture funéraire sans signatureLes desservants du cimetière — servants chargés, siècle après siècle, d'allumer chaque soir la flamme de la lanterneLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques — fonctionnaires du patrimoine qui obtinrent la protection de l'édifice par arrêté du 9 décembre 1939
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lanterne des Morts located?
Lanterne des Morts is located in Cherveix-Cubas, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Lanterne des Morts built?
Lanterne des Morts dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Lanterne des Morts open to visitors?
Lanterne des Morts is currently closed to visitors.