The best traffic-free bike rides around Thézac

The Saint-Laurent church has a remarkable feature: its medieval Romanesque bell tower survived the destruction, while the church was rebuilt around it. 1. The origins: 1047 The first known mention of the church dates back to 1047. In a charter, Geoffroy Martel, Count of Anjou, ceded the churches of Saint-Laurent du Gua and Saint-Martin de Sanzillac (an old name associated with Saint-Martin du Gua) to the Abbaye aux Dames in Saintes, along with their parishes, lands, and revenues. This donation testifies to the religious importance of the territory as early as the 11th century. 2. The Romanesque church and its fortified bell tower The original church was a Romanesque building, of which the bell tower is today the main remnant. During the Hundred Years' War, the bell tower was adapted for defensive purposes. One can notably distinguish: -Two levels of Romanesque arcades and bays. -A wall walk for surveillance. -A fortified upper part. -A timber spire covered with slate, added at the beginning of the 16th century. This bell tower is particularly interesting because it combines Romanesque religious architecture with military adaptations. 3. The Wars of Religion and the destruction In the 16th century, the church suffered severe damage during the Wars of Religion. A fire destroyed a large part of the building. The bell tower itself was partially razed, then transformed into a fortified tower. The large Romanesque church thus almost entirely disappeared. 4. The reconstruction around 1800 Around 1800, the old church was considered too dilapidated and dangerous. It was decided to build a new sanctuary while preserving the medieval bell tower. An important architectural feature: the new church was built with a different orientation than the old one. The current facade presents a neoclassical style, with: -Pilasters. -A triangular pediment. -A monumental entrance reminiscent of a triumphal arch. 5. Treasures to discover inside Several elements deserve special attention. -The stained glass windows They date from the 19th and 20th centuries. Some represent episodes from the life and martyrdom of Saint Laurent, the patron saint of the church, as well as Saint Thérèse. -The high altar It comes from the old church of Dercie, a village that today belongs to the commune of Le Gua. -The maritime ex-voto It is a particularly interesting piece: a model of a three-masted ship, dating from the 19th century. It measures: 65 cm in height; 75 cm in length. Its hull is carved from a single block of wood. It represents a three-master with twelve gun ports depicted in black paint. 6. Classification as a Historic Monument -The bell tower is classified as a Historic Monument, but be careful: this classification concerns the bell tower and not the entire church. -The maritime ex-voto was classified as a Historic Monument on November 10, 1980. 7. A recent archaeological discovery: 2019 This is probably the most exciting aspect of the monument's history. During sanitation and redevelopment work on the Place de Verdun, archaeologists intervened around the church. They found: -Remains of the north wall of the original Romanesque nave. -Buried architectural elements. -Old circulation levels inside the church. -Graves. -Traces of medieval constructions nearby. These researches showed that the remains of the old church were much better preserved than previously thought. You can consult the official report from the Ministry of Culture: Archaeological report 2019 – Le Gua, pages 80 and 81 (PDF).

🏛️ Construction: 18-19 AD The arch was built around 18-19 AD, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. It stood at the entrance to the Roman bridge crossing the Charente, at the outlet of the Via Agrippa, which connected Lyon to Saintes. It is therefore not truly a "triumphal arch": it was both a road monument and a monumental gate marking the entrance to Mediolanum Santonum, the capital of Roman Aquitaine. 👤 Who had it built? The arch was financed by Caius Julius Rufus, a Romanized notable from Saintonge. He dedicated it to Tiberius as well as his nephew Germanicus. The inscriptions engraved on the entablature still allow us today to know the figures to whom it was dedicated. The name "Arch of Germanicus" therefore comes from this dedication, and not from the fact that Germanicus personally had the arch built or crossed it. 🏗️ A rather exceptional monument The arch has two bays, likely allowing for the differentiation of traffic flows. It measures approximately 15 m high by 16 m wide. Its Corinthian and composite capitals bear witness to particularly meticulous Roman architecture. It constituted a true demonstration of the power and Romanization of Saintes. ⚠️ The moment the arch almost disappeared This is probably the most interesting episode in its history. For centuries, the arch was always located at the level of the Roman bridge and then the medieval bridge, on the right bank of the Charente. In the 19th century, the old bridge had become dilapidated. When it was decided to demolish it, around 1843, the arch was also threatened with destruction. It was then that Prosper Mérimée, Inspector General of Historical Monuments, intervened. He advocated for its preservation and arranged for its dismantling, relocation, and reassembly on the new bank. Another figure is also associated with this preservation: Victor Hugo, who stayed in Saintes in September 1843 and intervened in favor of the monument's conservation with Mérimée. 📍 Why is the arch no longer exactly in its ancient location? The arch we see today, on Place Bassompierre, is therefore no longer in its original location. It was moved a few dozen meters during the transformation of the quays and the disappearance of the old bridge. It was dismantled stone by stone and then reassembled in order to preserve it. It is now located in the immediate vicinity of the ancient Roman bridge crossing. 🏛️ Protection The Arch of Germanicus was finally classified as a historical monument in July 1905. An interesting detail The Crazannes quarries, located near Saintes, supplied a limestone widely used in the region's ancient constructions. Crazannes stone was notably used for monuments such as the Arch of Germanicus. In summary: 18-19 → construction of the arch at the entrance to the Roman bridge ↓ Antiquity → Middle Ages → the arch remains associated with the crossing of the Charente ↓ 1843 → demolition of the old bridge and threat to the arch ↓ 1843-1844 → Mérimée's intervention and relocation of the arch ↓ 1905 → classified as a Historical Monument

It is an absolutely beautiful village.

Small town with a special charm along the Charente.

The Abbaye-aux-Dames is built around the church of Sainte-Marie, built in the twelfth century. Famous for its facade and its characteristic "pinecone" bell tower, it is one of the emblematic monuments of Saintonge's Romanesque art. After several wars and fires, the place was restored in the 1970s and 1980s and is now a hotel. When you walk through the long corridors you feel like you have been transported back to the time when the abbey was still alive.

A former Benedictine abbey created in 1047, Abbaye-aux-Dames was the first women's monastery in Saintonge. These powerful women were nuns, that is to say, nuns living cloistered and having taken a vow of piety, occupying their lives in contemplation. They carried the crosier, in other words the pastoral staff of a bishop, and minted coins. Richly endowed, the abbey carried its influence well beyond the borders of the county and over time it became one of the most powerful women's monasteries in all of South-West France. With up to a hundred nuns at its peak, it was entrusted with the mission of instructing young girls, often from the French nobility, and counted among its most illustrious residents the future Marquise de Montespan, favorite of Louis XIV. The Abbaye-aux-Dames is structured around the Sainte-Marie church, built in the 12th century, famous for its facade and its characteristic “pine cone” bell tower. The premises were restored during the 1970s and 1980s and now house a Cité de la musique in which the Saintes Festival dedicated to classical music takes place each year. You can also stay in a wing of the building, the cells having been converted into hotel rooms, and leave your bike in a secure room.

The Santons people occupied Saintonge during the Gallic era. The Romans conquered the region and settled on the banks of the Charente. The town of Saintes (then designated Mediolanum), located at the western end of the Via Agrippa which linked Lyon (capital of the Three Gauls) to the Atlantic coast, quickly became monumental. At the time of Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD), the city probably became the capital of the province of Greater Aquitaine (Aquitania). This then extended from the Loire to the Pyrenees. Mediolanum is endowed with important public monuments: the amphitheater, the arch of Germanicus, the thermal baths and the aqueduct are still partially visible today. At the time of its peak (end of the 1st century – beginning of the 2nd century), the city must have had several thousand inhabitants. The amphitheater of Mediolanum is one of the earliest in Gaul. It is estimated that its construction began during the reign of Tiberius (14 – 37 AD), and was completed during the reign of Claudius (41 – 54 AD). Like many amphitheaters of the Roman Empire, that of Saintes was located on the outskirts of the ancient city in a chosen and developed site: the “vallon des Arènes”. Thanks to a favorable topography, the builders were relieved of part of their work, the amphitheater resting on the slope of the valley. This elliptical monument, with imposing dimensions (126 meters long and 102 meters wide), made it possible to accommodate several thousand spectators around bloody and violent representations such as gladiator fights (munera) or animal hunts (venationes ). In the 3rd century, the city declined and was entrenched within an impressive rampart, built from the remains of public and funerary monuments from previous decades. The amphitheater is then no longer used. Since the Middle Ages, it has been used, among other things, as a stone quarry. It was classified as a Historic Monument in 1840. It was from this moment that it was gradually restored. Today, despite the disappearance of the superstructures, the remains provide a faithful image of what this monument could have been at the time of its splendor. The site welcomes visitors all year round. Certain objects found during various excavations in the amphitheater district are visible at the archaeological museum.

Located on a rocky spur overlooking the Charente, Taillebourg has one of the oldest castles in the province of Saintonge. It was also one of the most important in the region in the Middle Ages. This stronghold will allow the city to assert its power and prosper thanks to its port and control of trade throughout the Middle Ages. According to a chronicler, the Château de Taillebourg hosted the wedding night of Louis, future king of France under the name Louis VII, with Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. Louis IX (future Saint Louis) made the castle his fortress to launch the attack against the King of England, Henry III. This victorious battle of July 21, 1242 became famous and was represented several centuries later by Delacroix, whose painting can be seen in the Battles gallery at the Palace of Versailles. The castle which had endured all the sieges during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion was taken and destroyed during the Fronde in 1652. During the Revolution, it was sold in lots as national property. Having suffered from lack of maintenance, the building was the victim of a fire in 1822 and was largely destroyed. All that remains now are the ruins with the ramparts and a tower standing like an emaciated being. It now houses a park which is a haven of peace. To access it from the banks of the Charente, you have to take a small detour through the town.