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
Commune	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] History

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

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

The station was listed on 15 January 1975 and work to restore the Great Hall ended in 1979.

About 13:20 on 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 next to them. A large 90 by 78 m platform was built over the line to support 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 metallic framework, covered in copper.

At the southwest corner is a 60 m tall clocktower, comprised of 12 levels. It is mounted by a dome itself mounted by a 5m tall vase. Below these are four 4 m wide clocks.