Attractions and Places To See around Saint-Jean-D'Angély - Top 18

Port-d’Envaux, located on the left bank of the Charente, about 12 km downstream from Saintes, owes a large part of its history to its position on the river. The village was originally a fishing village, but it gradually became an important river port for trade. 1. Origins The Charente is a very ancient waterway. As early as the Gallo-Roman period, the river was used to transport salt from the coast inland. The name Port-d’Envaux refers to its location: the village is situated downstream from Taillebourg and in the middle of several "vaux" or valleys. The former parish was named Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud. 2. From the 16th to the 18th century: development of trade From the 16th century onwards, navigation on the Charente became of considerable importance. Port-d’Envaux was notably involved in the trade of: * Crazannes stone; * pottery from La Chapelle-des-Pots; * firewood and cooperage wood; * salt; * and later, wine. In the 17th century, "gabares" (barges) became the main transport vessels on the river. Successive improvements to navigation on the Charente, particularly the work undertaken under Colbert, further boosted this activity. The development of the military port of Rochefort, in particular, led to significant needs for wood and stone. 3. The 19th century: the golden age of Port-d’Envaux It was in the 19th century that Port-d’Envaux experienced its true golden age. The port became an important center for barging and shipbuilding. It housed, among other things: * boat construction yards; * marine carpenters; * sailors and captains; * sailing ships; * rope makers; * merchants. The boats transported, in particular, wine, cognac, stone, wood, and salt between the interior of Saintonge, Saintes, and the estuary of the Charente. This prosperity largely explains the presence of the large bourgeois houses and residences that can still be observed along the river. On the eve of the Revolution, Port-d’Envaux even had a navigation school, a sign of the importance of its maritime activity. 4. Gabares, sloops, and schooners The port was particularly associated with "gabares", but also with sloops and schooners. These boats made it possible to transport goods between the ports of the Charente. The "gabares" could, in particular, load stone from the neighboring quarries of Crazannes, Plassay, and Port-d’Envaux. The municipality also preserves historical documentation specifically dedicated to the "gabares" and sloops with topsails built and equipped in Port-d’Envaux. 5. The commune and its evolution The parish of Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud became a commune during the Revolution. Port-d’Envaux only truly became a communal capital in 1852, when the commune had about 1,536 inhabitants. It was also in the 19th century that the center of the village gradually moved closer to the river: the port became the true economic heart of the town. The current urban plan, with its small streets descending towards the Charente, retains traces of this evolution. 6. The decline of the port The situation changed radically at the end of the 19th century with the arrival of the railway. Rail transport, and then road transport in the 20th century, strongly competed with the boats on the Charente. In 1926, the Charente was declassified as a navigable waterway; in 1957, it was permanently removed from the list of navigable waterways. This was practically the end of the port's historic commercial vocation. 7. From commercial port to pleasure port After the disappearance of merchant traffic, Port-d’Envaux gradually turned towards pleasure boating and river tourism. Today, the port accommodates pleasure boats and is a leisure area on the banks of the Charente. However, the village strongly preserves the memory of its maritime past through its quays, its old merchant houses, its streets, and its towpath. An interesting feature The history of Port-d’Envaux is therefore closely linked to that of Crazannes stone. The stone extracted from the neighboring quarries was transported by river, which explains the existence of a real economic chain associating quarries → port → "gabares" → Charente → estuary of Rochefort. It is also this past that helps us understand why the village today has Les Lapidiales, located in old quarries, and why the commune places so much emphasis on "stone and water".

The monumental ruins of the church of St-Pierre de Puyrolland, isolated on a promontory overlooking the Trézence valley, add to the appeal of this beautiful natural site. The high-quality sculpture of the Romanesque portal stands alongside the Gothic elements of the choir, and the charm is captivating. The legend attributes the paternity of this mound to Roland, nephew of Charlemagne. The site is said to have hosted a maison-Dieu (a monastery-hospital intended to accommodate pilgrims and the poor), occupied by the monks of St-Romuald, where a Romanesque church was built. Remains of the first 12th-century construction still exist, notably the lower part of the west facade and two small narrow bays on the north and south walls. After the Hundred Years' War, the building was partially rebuilt: the flat chevet, a bay with Gothic tracery, and the buttresses bear witness to this work. The Wars of Religion led to further destruction and partial reconstruction, as the first two bays of the nave were then closed off to form a modest building that still serves as a parish church today. Work carried out in the 18th and 19th centuries included, among other things, the addition of the tall campanile on the facade, pierced with two round-arched bays. The ruined part of the church was consolidated and restored in the 90s.

One of the masterpieces of Saintonge Romanesque art, the portal and its sculptures deserve a few minutes of attention (at least)!

The former monastery has existed since the 14th century, parts of it since the 17th century. The building is very worn and no longer completely intact, but still worth seeing!

Small town with a special charm along the Charente.

Located on a rocky spur overlooking the Charente, Taillebourg has one of the oldest castles in the province of Saintonge. It was also one of the most important in the region in the Middle Ages. This stronghold will allow the city to assert its power and prosper thanks to its port and control of trade throughout the Middle Ages. According to a chronicler, the Château de Taillebourg hosted the wedding night of Louis, future king of France under the name Louis VII, with Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. Louis IX (future Saint Louis) made the castle his fortress to launch the attack against the King of England, Henry III. This victorious battle of July 21, 1242 became famous and was represented several centuries later by Delacroix, whose painting can be seen in the Battles gallery at the Palace of Versailles. The castle which had endured all the sieges during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion was taken and destroyed during the Fronde in 1652. During the Revolution, it was sold in lots as national property. Having suffered from lack of maintenance, the building was the victim of a fire in 1822 and was largely destroyed. All that remains now are the ruins with the ramparts and a tower standing like an emaciated being. It now houses a park which is a haven of peace. To access it from the banks of the Charente, you have to take a small detour through the town.

In the Middle Ages, Tonnay-Boutonne was a fortified town of which today only one vestige remains: the Porte Saint-Pierre, named after the parish. Two other gates also existed, and the small city also had a port, a lock and a mill. At the heart of the ramparts stood a keep 20m high and 13m side with walls 3m thick. But it was razed in 1839 by the last owner who sold the stones to pay his debts, and the rubble was spread all around raising the level of the streets by 1.50 to 2m and filling the cellars of the village.

The Saint-Savinien church is a Romanesque style building built between the 12th and 13th centuries. The current sanctuary succeeds an ancient priory, cited in a charter of 1039, of which no vestige remains. The adjoining square is pleasantly decorated with statutes representing the apostles.