Sainte-Gemme's Priory

Built in the heart of the Baconnais forest, the monastery seems to have existed since the middle of the 11th century. The place already seemed to have been put under the name of Sainte-Gemme.

About this building

The church was built in the Romanesque period according to a classical Latin cross plan. It was then 55m long. Today, only the nave remains (three bays, and lined with side aisles), as well as a narthex (or avant-nef) whose presence is unusual in Saintonge.

Key Features

  • Architecture
  • Monuments

Other nearby buildings

Wikimedia Commons/Llann Wé²

Church of Saint-Saturnin de Séchaud

The church of Saint-Saturnin de Séchaud was built in the 11th or 12th century, but only the apse, the side walls of the nave and the base and first floor of the bell tower remain from that period. The second floor of the nave was built in the 15th century. In the 16th century, the walls were raised and the church became a fortified place. During the 19th century, and more precisely in 1896, the construction of the flamboyant style façade was completed, which forms a porch on the west side and hides an older façade enlarged in the 15th century.

Wikimedia Commons/Patrick Despoix

Ancienne église Notre-Dame

The Old Church of Our Lady is a Romanesque church dating from the beginning of the 11th century, making it one of the oldest building in the town of Rochefort. The church has been restored in 1977 by the municipality, the Geographical Society, which was looking for premises for its permanent exhibitions, had a museum set up there: the Musée Archéologique de la Vieille Paroisse.

Wikimedia Commons/Pline

Église Saint-Louis

The Saint-Louis church is one of the rare examples of neo-classical architecture in the region, built under the direction of the architect Felix Garde in 1835. The church replaces a former church dedicated to Our Lady. The present church was built on the site of the former Capuchin chapel. The bell tower (1768) remains from this 18th-century building.