The best MTB trails around Sainte-Sévère

I really recommend it, it's very pretty

Magnificent We can also have a picnic

A must-see visit alongside this abbey on a magnificent circuit

On the banks of the Charente, the Château de Cognac symbolizes the town's reputation. Today a Cognac House, it welcomes visitors to help them discover its history, but also that of the eaux-de-vie produced there.

Chesnel Castle, which has the appearance of a fortified castle, is intriguing. However, the niches here have a purely decorative function. The architecture of this building, erected in 1610, is therefore rather original. You can visit the castle by making an appointment via this link: https://patrivia.net/visit/chateau-chesnel

This imposing holm oak is approximately 500 years old. We do not know if it was planted on the occasion of the birth of the future king of France François I in 1494, on the occasion of his coronation in 1515 or on the occasion of his death in 1547. What we do know, however, is that it measures 17 meters high with a trunk circumference of 5.5 meters. Classified as a “remarkable tree”, it was even elected “tree of the year” in 2014 by the National Forestry Office.

Cognac is a beautiful, wealthy town where the future François 1st was born (hence the house of the same name). This wealth comes mainly from the pineau and cognac trade… It was in the 15th century that this distillation process appeared to better preserve these wines which were sent throughout Europe and in particular to the countries of the Hanseatic League where this "burnt wine", brandevin or brandy is very appreciated, most often cut off from water. In Cognac, the Henessy, Rémy Martin, Courvoisier and Martell houses have numerous buildings. I also passed in a town next to an old building used as a cellar, a very pleasant smell emanated from it.

Towards the end of the 12th century, an abbey church was built. At the beginning of the 13th century, attached to the west of the first Romanesque abbey, a Gothic-style cloister was gradually built. The abbey reached its peak from this period: in addition to its priories (la Grainetière in Vendée and la Tenaille near Pons), it owned land within a radius of 100 km, including saltworks on the coast. In the 15th century, Fontdouce obtained the title of royal abbey leading to a profound change in its mode of administration: the abbot was no longer elected by his peers within the community but was appointed by the king. It is often a great layman to whom the king grants the commendation, that is to say 80% of the income of the abbey. Then, the wars of religion, in the 16th century, accelerated its decline. The abbey church is ransacked: it will never be rebuilt. The years following the French Revolution also brought their share of destruction: several buildings, including the refectory, disappeared. The last monks were driven out in 1793 and the following year the site was sold as National Property to serve as agricultural property. The farmer who bought the place then built, on the remains of the conventual buildings, a house in the First Empire style. In the 1820s, Fontdouce entered the family of the current owners who, on December 16, 1986, had the Gothic parts, chapter house and parlor classified as historical monuments2. From 1970, the current owners undertook a series of excavations intended for the restoration of the Abbey of Fontdouce. They are gradually bringing the beautiful chapter house and the Gothic parlor back to life, the two superimposed Romanesque chapels and several other remains. These restoration works earned them third prize in the masterpiece in danger competition in 1979. In 1986, the site was entirely classified as a Historic Monument1. Today, Fontdouce remains a private property, focused on tourist and cultural activities, supported in its development actions by a team of enthusiasts grouped together within the Association Guillaume de Conchamp.