Sainte-Eutrope Basilica

To honour the relics of Saint Eutropius of Saintes (3rd or 4th century), Benedictine monks founded a monastery in the 9th century and built a two-storey church. The church acquired its Gothic bell tower later in the 15th century (1478-1496). The Benedictine monastery being abolished in 1789, the building became a parish church.

About this building

The church was consecrated in the 11th century by Pope Urban II. It is dedicated to Saint Eutrope, the first evangelizer of the region whose tomb is located in the crypt. In 1186, a brief apostolic report by Pope Leo XIII called for the church to be erected as a minor basilica. The nave was destroyed in 1803. The current facade was built in 1831 by the architect Prévôt. Later, in 1844, the bell tower was restored by another architect named Clerget. A year later, the crypt was cleared because it had been filled several times before.

Key Features

  • Monuments
  • Atmosphere / quiet space

Visitors information

  • Car park at the building
  • Dog friendly

Other nearby buildings

Wikimedia Commons

Protestant church

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.

Wikimedia Commons/Cobber17

Couvent des Jacobins

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.

Wikimedia Commons/G.Garitan

Sainte-Colombe 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.