Saint-Vivien Church

The church of Sainte-Colombe dates from the 14th century, but the present church owes much to reconstruction in the 15th century. Damaged during the French Wars of Religion, it was completely renovated in the 17th century. The church served as a place of worship for the Carmelites for part of the 19th century before being desecrated and converted into a warehouse for a regional cooperative in the early 20th century. Purchased and restored in 2000, it is the property of the Society of Saint Pius X.

Founded at the beginning of the 13th century, the Jacobins convent was home to a community of Dominican monks until the Revolution. Sold as national property, the convent was finally transformed into a private house. At the end of the 19th century, the buildings were owned by Maurice Martineau, a cognac merchant. He devoted part of his time to building up an impressive library, which he bequeathed to the municipality on his death in 1928, together with the buildings of the former convent. The site became a municipal library ten years later.

The Protestant church, completed in 1906, replaced many pre-existing sanctuaries. A first temple was built at the beginning of the 17th century, outside the former walls of Saintes. Inaugurated in 1602, it was destroyed in 1685 after the publication of the Edict of Fontainebleau. The existence of a third temple is attested in 1802, the latter being used for worship until the beginning of the 20th century. The construction of the present building was entrusted to the Parisian architect Augustin Rey, whose project combines neo-Romanesque and neo-Byzantine influences.