The best gravel rides around Le Chay

Magnificent portion with sublime views over the Gironde!

🏛️ 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

For this nature and its church

Very nice walk or bike ride

the eel pass

The flushing lock is located at the head of the port, between the north bank's embankment and the south bank's quay. A retention basin, occupying the non-navigable Seudre riverbed as far as Saujon, follows the flushing lock. Within the retention basin, rubble stone embankments extend the lock's return walls for a few meters. The lock itself forms a bridge carrying a road. The lock bridge consists of two piers, forming three arches, each housing two gates. On the upstream side of the lock, the piers have semicircular cutwaters. The three bands are stacked and terminate in clamps. The lock ends with a cornice resting on modillions. The cornice follows the shape of the cutwaters. A metal balustrade, also semicircular in shape, is fixed to the top of the lock. This balustrade is framed by two stone moldings. The sluice gate and its upstream and downstream return walls are constructed of dressed stone. The masonry is of medium and regular quality, except for the coping of the return walls, which features large and regular masonry. The upstream north return wall is lower than the one on the south bank. A small parapet of recently constructed white rubble masonry surmounts it. The sluice gate is equipped with metal gates, the modern racks of which are visible. The first sluice gate was built around 1825 on the site of a former tidal mill. During the works carried out between 1839 and 1842, the sluice gate's embankment was modified to allow the passage of vehicles. Between 1847 and 1853, the lock was enlarged to allow for larger flushes, and the reservoir was excavated. Return walls were also built to connect the flushing lock to the riprap. It was then restored in 1865 and completely rebuilt between 1868 and 1869. The lock is 10.50 m wide, and its gates are each 1.50 m wide. The reservoir is 700 m long and has an average width of 30 m.

it's great

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