©Fête de la Quintaine à Saint-Léonard de Noblat|Office de Tourisme de Noblat

Fête de la Quintaineto Saint-Léonard de Noblat in autumn

Fête de la Quintaine in Saint-Léonard de Noblat – EN

The people of Saint-Léonard de Noblat are keen to preserve the age-old traditions of Limousin. Ancestral festivals dating back to the Middle Ages are still held in the medieval town.

With the arrival of summer comes the Festival of Saint Martial, and in autumn it’s time for the Quintaine! Originally an equestrian joust for military training, the Fête de la Quintaine has been maintained over the centuries as a traditional game linked to the cult of the town’s founding saint. 🐎

Make a note of 16 November 2025 in your diary and discover this Miaulétoune tradition!

©Fete Traditionnelle De La Quintaineville De Saint Leonard De Noblat|Ville de Saint-Léonard de Noblat

What is the Quintaine?

Léonard is the patron saint of prisoners and pregnant women. He is credited with freeing many prisoners, which made him very popular in France and throughout Europe… leading to the construction of the collegiate church of Saint-Léonard de Noblat, a church dedicated to his cult and pilgrimage!

Every year during the Fête de la Quintaine, an equestrian game is organised to symbolically thank the liberating saint. Riders armed with sticks gallop off to destroy a small wooden prison designed for the occasion.

DID YOU KNOW?

Once you’ve finished the game, be sure to take home a fragment of the Quintaine… It’s said to have the power to protect your home! 🍀

Before the festival

Are you coming to the Fête de la Quintaine in Saint-Léonard de Noblat? Find out more about the programme for this ancient festival here.

To help you wait for the festival, a number of events are usually scheduled in connection with the Quintaine: lectures, exhibitions, solemn mass, concerts (full programme to come), etc.

But it’s the day before, on Saturday 15 November 2025, that the festivities kick off:

6pm: Ringing of the deniers. The confreres ring the bells and launch the festivities by giving coins and sweets to the children.
6.30pm: Concert in the collegiate church by the St Léonard choir and the Dante Alighieri choir

©Songs At The Traditional Quintaineville Festival In Saint Leonard De Noblat|Ville de Saint-Léonard de Noblat

The Quintaine programme

The real Quintaine Festival takes place on Sunday 16 November 2025:

9.30am: Gathering at the Pont de Noblat, invocation of the saint in front of the statue, then the Quintaine is carried by the confreres into the historic centre.
10.15am: gathering in front of the collegiate church and mass
2.30pm: procession of the Quintaine through the town with riders from the Place du Champ de Mars to the Place de la Libération
3.00 pm: time for horseplay! The Quintaine is broken up by the galloping riders and its pieces distributed to the spectators.
6pm: Salve Regina on the square in front of the collegiate church, followed by a procession with brandons and music through the town, then a bonfire on Place de la République.

Practical info

Free admission

Access to the Quintaine Festival is free and open to all! Believers and non-believers alike are welcome!

RDV place de la Libération

The Place de la Libération is the centrepiece of the festivities, but the Quintaine also takes place throughout the historic heart of Saint-Léonard de Noblat.

Every autumn

The Quintaine takes place on the 2nd Sunday after 5 November (the 6th marks the anniversary of the saint’s death) → See you on 16 November 2025!

All the information on the Fête de la Quintaine 2025