Lanterne des morts de Rancon

Erected in the 12th century, Rancon?s lantern for the dead is a circular granite edifice, 6.66 m high, topped by a conical lantern pierced by six bays diffusing the light from a lantern once hoisted to its summit. Located in the former cemetery of the Saint-Sébastien chapel and the Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens fortified church, it served to guide the souls of the deceased and signal this sacred site. The cemetery was moved in 1872, and two remarkable oak trees were planted in the new square. Listed as a historic monument, this lantern, surrounded by old tombstones, embodies the memory, faith and protective light of the Limousin Middle Ages.