The Vézère Ardoise: Pompadour.

The magnificent cross-country (steeplechase) race course.

A Mecca for equestrian enthusiasts, Pompadour, the City of the Horse (la Cité du Cheval), has been labeled Terre de Jeux 2024, and welcomes foreign delegations to prepare for the Paris Olympics, 2024.

The Haras National de Pompadour, contributed to the birth of the Anglo-Arab horse breed in the XIX^th century, whiles the Société des Courses de Pompadour has been organizing horse races since 1837. Pompadour hosts 160 days of sports-, culture- and tourist-related equestrian events every year. The two major events are the Grand National Pro Elite and the Grande Semaine (young horses national finals). Other events include horse breed shows and Harness racing (where horses pul a driver in a sulky).

The Puy Marmont equestrian stadium.

The Puy Marmont equestrian stadium (4), the racecourse (5) and its magnificent cross-country course (steeplechase), are all set against the backdrop of the Pompadour castle (2), providing a setting rich in history and local heritage.

Madame de Pompadour

The name ‘Pompadour’ conjures-up associations with french court intrigue and style.

Even to the non-horse enthusiasts the name ‘Pompadour’ might conjure-up some associations with french court intrigue and style (hairstyle, porcelain). Today, the French Presidential Élysée Palace has a Salon Pompadour (as do many posh hotels)to receive special guests, hold meetings and occasional dinners.

The intrigues starts as Jeanne Antoinette Poisson is born to François Poisson (1684–1754) and his wife Madeleine de La Motte (1699–1745). Or was she? Her biological father might have been either the rich financier Jean Pâris de Monmartel or the fermier général Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem. Any how, Le Normant de Tournehem became her legal guardian when François Poisson was forced to leave the country in 1725. From the age of 5 Jeanne Antoinette received the finest quality education and was recognised for her wit and charm. Tournehem arranged for Jeanne Antoinette to receive a private education at home with the best teachers of the day who taught her dancing, drawing, painting, engraving and the theater.

Part of the castle are open to the public.

At the age of nineteen, Jeanne Antoinette gets married to Charles Le Normant d'Étiolles who fell passionately in love with her. She vowed to never leave him till death or King would set them apart. Jeanne Antoinette visited celebrated salons in Paris, where she crossed paths with principal figures of the Enlightenment, including Voltaire and Montesquieu.She opened her own salon at Étiolles, which was attended by many of the cultural elite (among them Voltaire and Montesquieu). Her salon, as well as her grace and beauty, attracted the attention of king Louis XV. By 1744, she divorced her husband, moved to Versailles and became the king's mistress.

To become a member of the French court however, she required a title. And here enters the Pomdadour castle and family. The House of Pompadour reached its political height 1513, when it was elevated to a marquisate.The king acquired it, when due to the lack of a successor, it became vacant and gave the estate, with title and coat-of-arms, to Jeanne Antoinette. Allowing for the Marquise de Pompadour to make her formal entry on 14 September 1745.

As a member of the French court, and the official chief mistress of King Louis XV, she took charge of the king's agenda, was a valued aide and advisor, and remained influential till her death (at Versailles). The Marquise de Pompadour was a major patron of the arts and the philosophes of the Enlightenment. Some historians argue that the critics of Pompadour were driven by fears of her overturning of social and gender hierarchies that she, as a woman born outside the aristocracy, represented.

Pompadour greatly influenced and stimulated innovation in what is known as the "Rococo" style in the fine and decorative arts: through her patronage and the constant refurnishing of the fifteen residences she held with Louis. Again, this style was seen by some as a pernicious "feminine" influence.

Village and castle

Map of Pompadour.

The stronghold of the Lastour and Pompadour families, the château was founded in the 11th century. In 1182, Richard the Lionheart attacked the castle as part of his campaign against the supporters of France’s King Phillip II. Although nothing remains of the original Lastours castrum, the Château de Pompadour (2) rebuilt in the 15^th century, is registered as a historical monument. Part of the castle are open to the public as are the gardens (great views of the race course), the Marquise stables and the Orangery stables (3).

Monumental wall painting in the Chapel of Saint Blaise.

The Puy Marmont equestrian stadium (4) is just outside the castle, a walk around the village should include the Chapel of Saint Blaise (6). Restorations often allow for modern elements to be introduced (most often windows), but here all of the interior walls became the canvasfor artist André Brasilier who spent almost five years creating a monumental (over 300m²) wall painting depicting stories from the Bible.

The castle, with its Marquise and Orangery stables.

When we first visited Pompadour in 2018 found the railway ‘suspended till further notice’, and the station (1) served by buses. The same notice was still around in 2021, and a visit to Vignols revealed this might not change anytime soon.