Travelling with MM

13 June 2026

Day of churches France

Day 40 Saturday 13 June 2026

It was a busy day of stopping at various villages along our route and looking at their highlights which consequently ended up being the churches, with a few other things thrown in. As the temperature rose we went in search again for a shady spot and picked a great one at the Rochereau Reservoir neat Chantonnay.

Mark had an early start to watch the Bombers playing (unfortunately it was another loss).

Our first stop was in Confolens. The main 'highlight' of the town is the 'Old Bridge, originally built in the 13th century out of granite and with ten arches (although it was significantly modified and repaired in the 18th century).

The Church of Saint-Maxime has its origins in the 10th century although the church we see today is mainly from a 15th century rebuild except the arched stone entrance and rose window, which have been retained from a 13th century version. It is the octagonal spire of this church that dominates the skyline of Confolens.

The parish church of Saint-Just in Pressac was built in the 12th century in a Romanesque style according to a simple plan (absence of transept) and has a flat apse. Its roof was raised to house a defensive space during the Hundred Years War.

The "old bridge" which spans the Clain watercourse.

The village of Charroux has preserved a tall octagonal tower dating from the 11th century. Known as the tower of Charlemagne, it is one of the vestiges of Saint-Sauveur abbey. The cloisters and chapter house of this famous Benedictine abbey also remain.

The other historic monuments included the church, the market hall of the sixteenth century, the half-timbered house from the fifteenth.

Civray is an approved green holiday resort (Station Verte) that boasts an architectural gem: the Saint-Nicolas church, a 12th-century Romanesque building with a particularly remarkable carved facade. Inside, the church consists of a central nave with four bays. Entirely repainted in the second half of the 19th century by Pierre Amédée Bouillet, it still has a 14th century fresco depicting three episodes from the legend of Saint Gilles.

Melle is a town on one of the more important pilgrimage routes to Santiago di Compostella. The town is best known for having three fine examples of roman-style churches, constructed in the 11th-12th centuries.

The Church of Saint-Savinen is the oldest of the three churches in Melle, and was built on top of the fortifications of the medieval town. The church became a prison in the 19th century. It now hosts art exhibitions.

Coulon is located in the district of Niort, in the center of the wet marsh. Labeled Small town of character and Most beautiful village of France, it is today mainly focused on tourism.

There were many places to hire or take a small boat trip. Unfortunately it was just too hot to consider a ride.

Numerous times rebuilt, the church of the Holy Trinity dates back to the beginning of the ninth century. Used as a hay barn during the French Revolution, it was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. The building is equipped with a watchtower and has been listed in the Historic Monuments.