The best walks and hikes around Pisany

Leckeres Land Restaurant and Hotel, good regional cuisine. Hikers welcome. The lunch menu is a real recommendation, but you should reserve - especially with groups.

The organs of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church in Saujon. In 1962-1963, Pierre Nadeau built a 6-stop organ, without visible pipes, entirely expressive. In 1973, Dominique Oberthür carried out a repair of the organ. In 1978-1979, the Etablissements Muhleisen of Strasbourg rebuilt the organ which was inaugurated by Jacques Dussouil on June 9, 1979. The Walther Buffet is a two-body, polychrome, in fir and plywood. The large body has three turrets (the central one in a pointed third) framing two flat faces. The back positive includes two flat turrets framing a flat face. The facade includes 56 tin pipes (29 in the large body and 27 in the back positive). Console in a window projecting from the base. 4 windchests with engravings and registers.

The first Romanesque church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, about which we know practically nothing except that it replaced a monument destroyed and burned in 1415 by the English, at the same time as the priory of Saint-Martin and this by a certain Hutington, at the breaking of the truces of King Richard. Around 1530 it was ruined during the wars of religion. It had a vaulted nave and buttresses larger than the current church. The current church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, built between 1679 and 1683, on a project by Jacques Guérinet, architect of the convent buildings of the Abbaye-aux-Dames de Saints. Houses four capitals of the old Romanesque church, discovered during work carried out on the fairground. One of them shows Daniel in the lion's den, the saint seated blessing holds the Book. It is separated from the wild animals by a horseshoe-shaped mandorla, decorated with pearls. Another capital represents the Resurrection with the Holy Women and the tomb on which the angel is seated. The third illustrates the Weighing of Souls. The clothes, the finely worked details, the varied expressions of the characters (note the horrible clawed demon who tries to tip the scales on his side), make this work one of the peaks of Saintonge Romanesque sculpture. The last one presents an enigmatic scene: characters, including a man bending under the weight of an enormous fish that he is carrying. These four capitals, which are among the most beautiful sculpted works of Saintonge, are placed at a low height, which allows one to admire all the details. The following website is very well documented on these capitals: http://chapiteaux.free.fr/TXT_Saujon.html

In 1962-1963, Pierre Nadeau built a 6-stop organ, without visible pipes, entirely expressive. In 1973, Dominique Oberthür carried out a repair of the organ. In 1978-1979, the Etablissements Muhleisen of Strasbourg rebuilt the organ which was inaugurated by Jacques Dussouil on June 9, 1979. The Walther Buffet is a two-body, polychrome, in fir and plywood. The large body has three turrets (the central one in a pointed third) framing two flat faces. The back positive includes two flat turrets framing a flat face. The facade includes 56 tin pipes (29 in the large body and 27 in the back positive). Console in a window projecting from the base. 4 windchests with engravings and registers.

The Romanesque church of Saint-Martin disappeared during the Revolution. The first Romanesque church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, of which we know practically nothing except that it replaced a monument destroyed and burned in 1415 by the English, at the same time as the priory of Saint-Martin and this by a certain Hutington, at the breaking of the truces of King Richard. Around 1530 it was ruined during the wars of religion. It had a vaulted nave and buttresses larger than the current church. The current church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, built between 1679 and 1683, on a project by Jacques Guérinet, architect of the convent buildings of the Abbaye-aux-Dames de Saints. Houses four capitals of the old Romanesque church, discovered during work carried out on the fairground. One of them shows Daniel in the lion's den, the saint seated blessing holds the Book. It is separated from the wild animals by a horseshoe-shaped mandorla, decorated with pearls. Another capital represents the Resurrection with the Holy Women and the tomb on which the angel is seated. The third illustrates the Weighing of Souls. The clothes, the finely worked details, the varied expressions of the characters (note the horrible clawed demon who tries to tip the scales on his side), make this work one of the peaks of Saintonge Romanesque sculpture. The last presents an enigmatic scene: characters, including a man bending under the weight of an enormous fish that he is carrying. These four capitals, which are among the most beautiful sculpted works of Saintonge, are placed at a low height, which allows one to admire all the details. See the site http://chapiteaux.free.fr/TXT_Saujon.html

Saint John the Baptist (Saint Jean Baptiste), to whom this church in Saujon is dedicated, is – like Saint Joseph – a man on the threshold of the Old and New Testaments. His parents are Zechariah and Elizabeth. After the proclamation of God's incarnation, the Mother of God visits her relative Elizabeth, who will give birth to a son in old age, John the Baptist. This is half a year older than Jesus and is considered his forerunner / pioneer. He lives in the desert, preaches the repentance of sins to the Jewish population and baptizes them in the Jordan, where Jesus also comes to be baptized, being filled with the Holy Spirit that descends on him from heaven. The memorial day of John the Baptist (Jean Baptiste) in the calendar of saints is on June 24th, exactly half a year before 'Christmas Eve'.

Baroque style church built from 1679 to 1683 on the site of an earlier Romanesque building, according to the design of Jacques Guérinet, architect of the convent buildings of the Abbaye-aux-Dames de Saintes; the interior has a stone pulpit and two chapels, one of which was adorned at the beginning of the 20th century with the four capitals found on the excavation site of the priory of Saint-Martin, the other having a baroque decoration. The basket-handle vault has been plastered and paneled since a restoration in the 1960s, a paneling also replaces the old choir boxes; the stained glass windows all came from the famous workshop of Gustave-Pierre Dagrant in Bordeaux between 1913 and 1922.

The interest aroused by this church is concentrated on its façade. It has on the ground floor a semicircular portal framed by two false doors of the same height, with pointed arches. On the large arcade of the vast central window which intersects the cornice develops the allegory of the Wise Virgins and the Foolish Virgins. Groups of columns separate the windows, others furnish the extremities of the facade. Above, a cornice decorated with scrolls and foliage rests on highly ornate corbels. Founded in the 2nd half of the 12th century, the current church was built in 2 stages: first the transept, surmounted by a bell tower, and then the choir. Then, towards the end of the 2nd ½ of the 12th century, the nave was barrel-vaulted and the western facade built. The primitive chevet was ½ circular. It was rebuilt in the 17th century, a flat Gothic wall, pierced by an ogival window, replacing the original apse. From the entrance, there is a massive wall pierced by a high and narrow door which, by 5 steps, reaches the nave. This narthex is lit by 2 semicircular windows. It is covered at great height with a starry ribbed vault. The nave comprises six bays, the first 3 vaulted in warhead with sculpted keys; the following 3, less high, in a broken cradle. In the 2nd half of the 15th century, following the Hundred Years War, a large part of the building was taken over. The left wall has been replaced by a series of 5 large smooth columns, without capitals Lit by 5 pointed arch windows, this 2nd nave also has its own entrance door to the west and on a landing preceded by several steps. Defensive elements were added to the south wall of the nave (walkway, crenellations, loopholes...), and a new bell tower was built above the 1st bay of the nave. This work was completed in the 17th century, for the completion of the vaults of the 1st spans of the nave, and for that of the bell tower, covered with a hull roof. Inside, the south wall of the nave is still pierced with semicircular bays framed by small columns with carved capitals. As for the western facade, it presents the usual structure of the Romanesque facades of the region. Made up of 3 arcades on each of the 2 levels, like a Roman triumphal arch.