The best gravel rides around Villars-En-Pons

🏛️ Construction: 18-19 AD The arch was built around 18-19 AD, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. It stood at the entrance to the Roman bridge crossing the Charente, at the outlet of the Via Agrippa, which connected Lyon to Saintes. It is therefore not truly a "triumphal arch": it was both a road monument and a monumental gate marking the entrance to Mediolanum Santonum, the capital of Roman Aquitaine. 👤 Who had it built? The arch was financed by Caius Julius Rufus, a Romanized notable from Saintonge. He dedicated it to Tiberius as well as his nephew Germanicus. The inscriptions engraved on the entablature still allow us today to know the figures to whom it was dedicated. The name "Arch of Germanicus" therefore comes from this dedication, and not from the fact that Germanicus personally had the arch built or crossed it. 🏗️ A rather exceptional monument The arch has two bays, likely allowing for the differentiation of traffic flows. It measures approximately 15 m high by 16 m wide. Its Corinthian and composite capitals bear witness to particularly meticulous Roman architecture. It constituted a true demonstration of the power and Romanization of Saintes. ⚠️ The moment the arch almost disappeared This is probably the most interesting episode in its history. For centuries, the arch was always located at the level of the Roman bridge and then the medieval bridge, on the right bank of the Charente. In the 19th century, the old bridge had become dilapidated. When it was decided to demolish it, around 1843, the arch was also threatened with destruction. It was then that Prosper Mérimée, Inspector General of Historical Monuments, intervened. He advocated for its preservation and arranged for its dismantling, relocation, and reassembly on the new bank. Another figure is also associated with this preservation: Victor Hugo, who stayed in Saintes in September 1843 and intervened in favor of the monument's conservation with Mérimée. 📍 Why is the arch no longer exactly in its ancient location? The arch we see today, on Place Bassompierre, is therefore no longer in its original location. It was moved a few dozen meters during the transformation of the quays and the disappearance of the old bridge. It was dismantled stone by stone and then reassembled in order to preserve it. It is now located in the immediate vicinity of the ancient Roman bridge crossing. 🏛️ Protection The Arch of Germanicus was finally classified as a historical monument in July 1905. An interesting detail The Crazannes quarries, located near Saintes, supplied a limestone widely used in the region's ancient constructions. Crazannes stone was notably used for monuments such as the Arch of Germanicus. In summary: 18-19 → construction of the arch at the entrance to the Roman bridge ↓ Antiquity → Middle Ages → the arch remains associated with the crossing of the Charente ↓ 1843 → demolition of the old bridge and threat to the arch ↓ 1843-1844 → Mérimée's intervention and relocation of the arch ↓ 1905 → classified as a Historical Monument

Magnificent port

In the heart of the singles of the forest of St Leger

beautiful passages along the Charente with pretty monuments and small waterfront cafés in Port d’Envaux and Saintes.

Bronze and ceramic sculptures to browse and purchase

The Gallo-Roman amphitheater of Sainte, also called the Arena of Saintes, is an elliptical monument built between 40 and 50 AD, probably during the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius. It measures approximately 126 meters by 102 meters and could accommodate between 12,000 and 15,000 spectators, making it one of the largest and oldest amphitheaters in Gaul. Located in a natural valley called the "Arènes valley," it takes advantage of the topography to limit construction work, with stands backing onto the hill. The site has two monumental gates, the "Gate of the Living" to the east and the "Gate of the Dead" to the west, and has been the subject of a major restoration project since 2021 to preserve this exceptional heritage. Accessible on foot from the city center, it offers an immersion in Roman history with an educational trail and activities for families

Notre Dame de Nazareth Middle School is a private Catholic school under a state partnership agreement...and on a human scale, with 142 students and seven classes (two sixth-form, two fifth-form, one fourth-form, and two ninth-form), whose main focuses are student support and monitoring, valuing all achievements, and welcoming all. Depending on the families' schedules and needs, two statuses exist at Notre Dame de Nazareth Middle School: - Status 1: Children enter and exit NDN according to the school's hours: 8:55 a.m. - 5:10 p.m. They cannot enter later or leave earlier. - Status 2: Children can enter and leave the school at the first and last class times on their schedule. They have the option of entering later and leaving earlier than the school's hours, particularly in the event of a teacher's absence during the first and/or last class times of the day. 1865 The school was founded by three nuns from the Congregation of the Holy Family of Bordeaux at the "Château" in Sorlut. 1873 The sisters purchased land on the Route de Talmont in the hope of constructing a building there. 1875 The Château de Sorlut was put up for sale, and the school was relocated near the church on Rue Traversière. 1878 The building on the Route de Talmont was constructed, and the school was relocated there. 1902-1905 Despite the new secularization laws, the sisters continued their mission. 1914 The Red Cross flag flew over the school. 1923 The house was put up for sale by the estates. With some friends of the school, Father du Boulet placed a bid of 100 francs; no one else came forward, and the school was saved! 1940 The Red Cross flag flies over the house again, and the sisters carry out charitable works there. 1958 The school welcomes 70 children. 1959 The school is named "Our Lady of Nazareth." 1960 First expansion, installation of prefabricated classrooms, and opening of a complementary course. The school has 120 students. 1965 With 180 students, the school expands its enrollment to the surrounding towns: Cravans, Tesson, Montpellier, Corme Ecluse, Saint André de Lidon, etc. The classrooms and dormitories are modernized, and a refectory and a covered playground are built. 1983 The nuns hand over management to lay people while retaining supervision. 1987 A new building replacing the prefabricated buildings was constructed for the middle school students, with classrooms, a science laboratory, a technology room, and a computer room. The old building was completely renovated: the administrative area and a primary classroom were housed on the ground floor; the primary classrooms were housed on the first floor; and the library and chapel were located on the second floor. The entire school building, including the classrooms, courtyards, and grounds, underwent a complete renovation. 1989 Construction and development of the dining area: kitchen and refectories. 2008 Expansion of the middle school: new restrooms, 3 classrooms, and 1 study room. 2010 Creation of a nap and motor skills room for kindergarten students. 2012 Expansion of the refectory and construction of 3 additional classrooms at the middle school. 2015-2016 Nazareth celebrates its 150th anniversary! 2020 Opening of the flexible timetable (CHA) football classes, in partnership with the Cozes club. 2021 Interior renovation of the administrative building 2022 Opening of the CHA dance and table tennis classes Summer 2023 Renovation of the chapel and meeting room. Attic insulation. March 2025 Restoration underway

This vast building was originally owned by the Augustinian Abbey of Saint-Étienne de Mortagne (now defunct). Built beginning in the 13th century, the current church was supplemented with a flat chevet pierced by a triplet in the following century. The bell tower, set on a powerful square stump, extends into an octagonal floor, built in the 15th century. At that time, it housed seven bells. As in many parishes in the region, the bells of Cozes were taken down and taken to Royan Castle in 1548 as punishment for ringing the alarm bells of revolt during the Pitauds Jacquerie. The nave vaults collapsed in 1756 and were economically rebuilt in the 19th century. The five bays of the nave are covered with a very simple basket-handle ceiling, while the side chapels, on either side of the choir, are covered with groin vaults. The church has retained its 13th-century capitals with plant or historiated motifs, and part of its exterior ornamentation (cords, frieze, small columns, and an allusion to Aesop's fable, The Fox and the Stork). The façade contrasts sharply with the rest of the building. Neoclassical in inspiration, with its triangular pediment, it was redone in the 19th century. The furnishings include elements from all periods. The church nevertheless retains an 18th-century pulpit. Assembled by a cabinetmaker from Burie, it was intended for the Sainte-Colombe church in Saintes. It was later sold to the parish priest of Cozes. In 2000, the stained-glass windows were restored. An access ramp was installed for the disabled. Until the winter of 1862-1863, the church was surrounded by a cemetery. It was moved to La Grande Herbaude, and the square surrounding the church was then The area was leveled and planted with trees. In 1877, five bells were reinstalled. The bell tower houses a peal of five swinging bells, cast in 1877 by the Guillaume d'Angers foundry: Claire-Louise: F3 - approximately 950 kilos, Marie-Thérèse: A3 - approximately 450 kilos, Marie-Louise: C4 - approximately 250 kilos, Louise-Georgette: F4 - approximately 100 kilos, Marie-Madelaine: A4 - approximately 50 kilos. This peal is exceptional for several reasons. Peals composed of five bells are very rare in the Charente-Maritime department: there are fewer than five. It is rare for four or more bells to be cast simultaneously. Often, over time, one bell is recast, another is added, and often the different bells do not come from the same foundry. In Cozes, the five bells were cast together by a single founder. This is the only case in Charente-Maritime. Since these bells were cast at the same time, this guarantees the same homogeneity of the metal and therefore a much better sound when the five bells chime together. They form the perfect chord of F major.