Collonges La Rouge, also one of the Most Beautiful Villages Of France, is just a few kilometer away from Turenne in the Limousin. (Collonges was actually the first village to be place on this illustrious list when it was created in 1982.) The structures are entirely built of red clay, which is easily found in the surrounding hills. The roofs are made of slate.
Collonges got its beginning in the VIIIth century, when monks founded a priory on this spot. Farmers, trades people and artisans quickly followed and settles around the monastery. Most of the structures were built in the the XVth and the XVIth centuries, but the church's bell tower can be dated back to around 1100.
At its peak, Collonges had about 1500 inhabitants. After the French Revolution, that number dwindles slowly, but steadily. Wanting to preserve not only the village, but its history, an association called "Les Amis de Collonges" was founded in 1927.
Today, Collonges is one of the most visited sites in the Limousin and home to about 450 residents.
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