Gare de Limoges Bénédictins

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**Limoges-Bénédictins**
Station Information

Services	TER Limousin
Opened	16 June 1856
Location
Région	Limousin
Départment	Haute-Vienne
Municipality	Limoges

Limoges-Bénédictins is the main railway station of Limoges. It was named Bénédictins due to the presence of a Benedictin monastery closed during the French Revolution.

[edit] Histoire

The CF du PO opens the first railway line in the city in the 1850s. The first station, built in wood, opened on 16 June 1856. The first stone built station opened in 1860.

On 21 November 1918, Limoges city council and CF du PO signed an agreement regarding the construction of a new station, work lasted between 1924 and 1929 and was inaugurated on 2 July 1929.

The station was listed on 15 January 1975 and work to rehabilited the great hall ended in 1979.

Around 13:20, on Thursday 5 February 1998 a fire broke out under the station's dome. The city's population was deeply touched and the dome was rebuilt to its original design.

[edit] Architecture

Bénédictins station was designed by architect Roger Gonthier. A particularity of the station is that it was built over the ten railway lines as opposed to on their side, a large 90 by 78m platform was built over the line to carry the station building.

The building is made of a concrete bone structure, filled in with limestone. The dome which covers the passenger concourse is made of a metallique structure, covered in copper.

At the Southwest corener is a 60m tall clock tower, comprising of 12 levels. It is mounted by a dome itself mounted by a 5m tall vase. Below these are four 4m wide clocks.