ROMANESQUE ART
in Saintonge
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ROMANESQUE ART in Saintonge |
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The SAINTONGE is the part of the Charente-Maritime located between the Charente river and the Gironde and which extends to the ANGOUMOIS. A very famous region known for its Romanesque churches of the XII th, its military architecture of XVII and XVIII , its Gallo-Roman sites, its seafoods, oysters , wines, pineau, cognac and its sunny spring summer and fall.
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The capitals talks to you ! Or at least they try, but I'm sorry let's improve your French !
Our churches although in very small villages are beautiful and require more than one rapid glance. You, who pass by there, take your time, provide with field-glasses for better appreciating the splendid chevet such as the ones of : Mornac, Vaud, Rioux, Rétaud or Échillais. Climb at sun-set some West-Front such as : Corme-écluse, Thaims , the Abbaye-aux-Dames , Le Douhet or Nieul-les-Saintes. Ask the key near the Town-hall or a villager if you are locked up outside and discover all these " chefs d oeuvre ". Open your eyes, so you will discover the bénédictines advertising of the centuries XI and XII th and in order to help you for a better understanding them, we humbly tried to give them again the sens that they deserved originally. Unfortunately I am not enough familiar with the Shakespeare language and lazy but you too! so improve your French with this opportunity!
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January 2006
Why are they turned upside down !
Romanesque art:
ANNEPONT,
the church stends in a old and typical churchyard
is worth a visit !
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is worth a visit !
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March 2008
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April 2010
is worth a visit !
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November 2009
The
church of BLANZAC
les MATHA , four piles and a "
stone story
" A
wonderful owl !
Avril 2007
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Dec 2007
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The Church of
COLOMBIERS
,with
the famous capital : "The
enigmatic wooden leg"
lies in the SEUGNE river valley , the " saint Maclou " church offers a bell-tower with rounded corner-stones and a wonderful chevet XII th with interesting modillons. Inside one of the most famous decorated capitals with a strange wooden-leg fellow which is a pure advertising still valid when applying to health by nowadays...
Description & tourism in trench
March 2008
Achieved before 1200, one of the rare church without awful extra counter fort, the church offers a pretty west-front and a rich chevet. Don't forget your field-glasses !
Inside the
Church of CORME-ÉCLUSE , it's
another kingdom: the
devil is everywhere ! very un-usual !
what happens justifying such a dissolving view !?
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March 2008
Its two storeys west-front is divided vertically into three sections and decorated with arcading. The decoration takes place on the curves of the arcading, the cornices and the horizontal string-courses representing the " Sermon Saintongeais " Inside the south-wall is XII th and shows a splendid colossal capital with a lot of small very interesting ones.
Description & tourism in trench
June 2008
The church of
ÉCHILLAIS
offers
a wonderful west-front! with
the famous "
Great Ghoul ".
on the left of the portal. Around the portal two blind arcades topped by an upper row of nine arcades with raised arches decorated with foliated scrolls. The chevet is also interesting showing some wheels .
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March 2008
The church of
ÉCURAT
although
its not a priory shows
some solar dials!
The parochial church is close to " TAILLEBOURG " where the king Henri the third of England, in 1242 was defeated by the king of France Louis the IX, said " Saint Louis " who came there with his troupe for a " TE DEUM " the day after the battle. A few miles away remains still a part of the bridge where the battle took place at St James .
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The church and
the lantern of the deceases of
FENIOUX
The church has a 5 arches portal decorated with figures depicting typical themes of the SAINTONGE such as a wonderful ZODIAC (described separately but in French ) the battle of VERTUS and VICES, angels around the Lamb, and the famous parable of the wise and foolish Virgins. Above the portal are in a gallery the statues of prophets and Apostles around the Christ in "majesty". On the north wall is another portal with three decorated arches . On the south wall is the most beautiful "claustra" : a carolingien screen . The bell tower is dated end of XII and has two lanterns one above the other. A few yards at the west is the finest lantern of the deceased consisting of eleven colums with capitals on which is settled the lantern with its 13 short colums topped by a pyramidal-shaped roof of stones. A light was placed inside the lantern which was in this times in the middle of the cemetery.
A slide-show on FENIOUX (optimized for 1440x900 screens)
The album about FENIOUX (optimized for 1024x768 screens)
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The FONDOUCE
Abbey Benedictine abbey
founded in 1111 endowed
by Eleanor of Aquitaine
!
The restoration first concerned the lower chapel preserved in it enterity a pure and sober Roman style then the capitulary hall dating from the XIII th century and heavily decorated in a early Gothic style.
2006
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The site
The
church of GEAY cistercian
art 100% century XII
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Perhaps due to the fact that the church is dedicated to Marie Madeleine ?
March 2008
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The church of LA VALLÉE , which thema is also sex control
A nice tower bell , a typical front-end a few but nices capitals
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The church of
LE DOUHET with the famous
avaricious who is
rather a bishop not godly
but very lust !
A " ballet " above the portal has protected the wonderful sculptures of the portal. A woman hangs the hair of a man close to a Christ whose legs shows that He does not give His approval !...
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March 2008
The church of
LE MUNG & the ancient cimetery
September 2009
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It's new portal improves the beauty of the front-end . It has been fortified, contains a primitive crypt and inside giant pillars with three wonderful capitals...
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The Church of
MORNAC-sur-Seudre has
enigmatic volutes But
what
a smart village !
Narrow streets, an harbor with old sail-boats, a channel lined by oyster farmer's sheds. MORNAC was a fortified town . Remains the paroquial church with its charming chevet. A picturesque site with a lot of artists living there
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Four fine capitals not heavily charged ! Unique !..
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Bellesaintonge/DIAPO_NIEUL-CHATEAU.html
The Church of
PERIGNAC ,
transition between century XII & XIII
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Nov 2009
The
pilgrim's Hospice
of PONS
,
a stopover on the road to Santiago de COMPOSTELLA
Two portals from the century XII th are facing one the other on the street
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Both are the most attractive Romanesque churches of Saintonge !
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Real delight to the eye !
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The
'Abbey-aux-Dames' in SAINTES
a pine cone belfry and a magnificent carved west-front and huge cupolas. The church has suffered by fire, has been used as barracks and stable, even jail...what a new life !
Description & tourism in english
The saint
Eutrope crypt in SAINTES
It is on the list of the Unesco Mondial Heritage.
Mars 2006
The saint
Eutrope upper church in SAINTES
Consecrated in 1096 by the pope URBAIN the 2d while the crypt was simultaneously consecrated by the Saintes's bishop. The pillar capitals of which were examples for most local churches with animals combine with vegetation.
November 2006
Descriptif
par Charles CONNOUË (in French)
A propos des TRIFRONS, d'ou viennent-ils? Un pape TRIFRONS à ROMEGOUX?
Nov 2006/Nov 2009
The church of
Saint FORT-sur-GIRONDE , How
many horses on the
voussoirs A
very nice front-end
Fort as FORTUNAT. Do you know the group " VENANCE FORTUNAT " specialized in the music of year 1000 and from " l'école de CHARTRES "
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The priory of Sainte-Gemme,a
rare "narthex" with sculptures very well preserved while the front-end
had been restaured nearly completely and some ruins of the cloister
The Church of
Saint GEORGES-des-COTEAUX shows
yourself as a Griffin
!
Do you speak griffin ?..let's try !
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March 2008
The Church of
Saint SORNIN what a
lucky hit, a
jewel in a jewel-box
The jewel-box are the marshes around the tower of BROUE nearby. The jewel is a fully restaured church offering both Romanesque architecture and XVII th century wall-paintings.
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The church of Saint
SYMPHORIEN de BROUE , pilgrims station shows
another struggle between Virtues and Vices!
Mai 2007
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The four
capitals of SAUJON
discovered
in 1912
and
still with original colors !
Four wonderful sculptures placed now in the church, but not at 15 meters high, no! just in front of your eyes !
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The church of TALMONT sur Gironde
July 2007
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The church of
THEZAC and its bell-tower
August 2007
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Ropes that withhold animals but the best is a capital for lovers: full of hearts one inside the other, linked by, and a couple of doves drinking in a cup representing the harmony in spiritual or matrimony sacrament...
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beurlay
| hundreds
links about romanesque art |
A few minutes for loading a trial showing some photographs about AULNAY de Saintonge
The celtic music comes from radio celt and you listen to "Loreena Mc Kennith"
a trial with CRUAS
My own EXCEL file relating the historic period arround the first millenium (in french sorry and focused on the Saintonge).
 site
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Technic: Alain Favraud _ Photos: Michel Rochat _
Presentation: Alain Deliquet
Helpfull books In French but simple and practical with roman road riding itineraires: Itinéraires romans en Saintonge _Ed. Zodiaque (available in all important towm library) more : La sculpture romane en Saintonge _ Direction Jacques LACOSTE _ Edition Christian PIROT In English: Wonderfull CHARENTE-MARITIME by Christian Gensbeitel. Ed.Ouest-France the french book tempting an approach of the sens of the romanesque early sculptures: "Les symboles de l'art roman" |
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