Created Wednesday 12 March 2014
May 861, a donation to St-Pierre de Beaulieu by one Datbert of the church of St-Sylvain d'Espagnac. The monastery here has its most incredible array of saints of all, SS Pierre, Denis, Rustique, Eleutherius, Pancras, Crispin & Crispian, Hilaire, Martin, Benoît, Eloi & Tillan. The property is given with a cens in wax to be paid to the cathedral of St-Étienne de Limoges, interestingly, and the whole thing's usufruct goes to the donor while he lives, while if the monks alienate it or exchange it the property reverts automatically to the family, uncompensated. This will be common in later documents but this is the first time we see it. The donor's brother was a priest, who is also to be commemorated from the gift; does that makes this a family Eigenkirche? There is other property also given, another church, St-Martin d'Albussac, that is not subject to these cavils, however. Many of the witnesses of this document seem elsewhere to be comital followers, but there are also some locals about; the monastery is becoming a hub, even if it doesn't yet physically exist!