The best running trails around Saintes

🏛️ 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

Very nice walk or bike ride

A small, pedestrian-only craft village. The site is magnificent, located on the Gironde estuary.

Built on a cliff overlooking the Gironde estuary, the Catholic Church of Sainte-Radegonde is sometimes considered the archetype of the Saintonge Romanesque style. The view of the Gironde estuary and the surrounding rivers is spectacular.

Overlooking the Gironde estuary, the Sainte-Radegonde church, in the picturesque village of Talmont-sur-Gironde, is an almost thousand-year-old place, worked by the sea and the winds. On the edge of a cliff, the site offers an exceptional panoramic view of the Gironde. These stones, hollowed out by the centuries, have seen pilgrims pass by, risking their lives to reach the Bay of Biscay and reach the tomb of Saint Jacques de Compostelle, in Galicia. The Sainte-Radegonde church, a jewel of Romanesque art in Saintonge, was listed as a Historic Monument in 1890. The building bears the name of a famous saint venerated since the 6th century in Poitou-Charentes. Daughter of the King of Thuringia, Radegonde was forced to marry the son of Clovis and King of the Franks, Clotaire I. After her brother was assassinated, she asked the Bishop of Noyon, Saint Médard, to give up her role as queen to devote herself to God. She retired to the monastery of Poitiers, where she welcomed the poor and the sick. After her death in 587, she was buried in Poitiers. Protector of sailors, a statue of the saint stands in the church of Talmont-sur-Gironde. A first building is mentioned as early as 1094, when Archpriest Guillaume Laier gave the peninsula to the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. Tombs located at the foot of the church, dating from the Carolingian era, bear witness to the antiquity of this place, steeped in history. Pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela from Aulnay and Saintes took this route before reaching Soulac by sea or Bordeaux by land. Between 1140 and 1170, Benedictine monks built a church in the Romanesque style. Only simple bays let in light, illuminating the white stone of Saintonge. The chevet, with its buttress columns, is decorated with checkerboards and sculpted figures. These decorative elements, taken from the medieval bestiary, can be found on the voussures, as well as on the capitals that support the pointed arches. The wind and the sea have continued to erode these stone ornaments. The nave collapsed in the 15th century, due to the fragile construction of the crypt, located below. In 1284, the town of Talmont was purchased by the King of England and Duke of Aquitaine, Edward I. Transformed into a real fortress from the 13th century, the soldiers stood on the crenellated heights of the church. In the 15th century, cannons were installed on this platform, facing the sea, to dissuade ships from attacking Bordeaux. From the 14th to the 17th century, the church was the victim of violent clashes between the English, French, Huguenots, Catholics, Basques and Spanish. After the closure of this place of worship in 1794, extensive restoration work began in the mid-19th century. The cliff that supports the church was reinforced to protect it from the tides. The work undertaken in the 1930s aimed to harmonize the building and restore its original form. The platform used for military defense and the patrol path were removed to make way for a square tiled bell tower.

Matata Caves

Ganz wunderbare Laufstrecke zwischen den entzückenden Ortschaften Meschers und Talmond !

Great beach with a sailing school and lifeguard!