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Its location, near the city walls and an old city gate, corresponds to that of a primitive sanctuary, predating Christianity, probably a temple dedicated to Jupiter. A first cathedral was built during the 4th century, dedicated to Saint Saturninus. The building disappeared when Clovis captured Angoulême in 508, after he drove out the Visigoths following the victory at Vouillé in 507. Clovis and then King Charibert ordered the cathedral's reconstruction in honor of Saint Peter.[2] This second cathedral was consecrated in 566 by Saint Germain, Bishop of Paris, and Saint Euphronius, Bishop of Tours, and is mentioned in Gregory of Tours' History of the Franks.[Note 1] It was burned down, probably by the Normans. The third cathedral was the work of Grimoard of Mussidan, Bishop of Angoulême (991-1018). He was also Abbot of Brantôme in Périgord and used the abbey's revenues to finance its construction. Begun around 991 and consecrated in 1015, it lasted only a century, its dimensions being too small. Only the north wall remains in the second and third bays of the nave, beneath the windows.

Peaceful and relaxing place

The biblical accounts of the New Testament, which describe the events in the life of Jesus and his disciples, paint a very nuanced picture of the Apostle Peter (Saint-Pierre), to whom the church of Angoulême is dedicated: On the one hand, he is a convinced and determined disciple of Jesus, but also not free from human weakness and fear. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he falls asleep (like the other disciples) when Jesus turns to God the Father after the Last Supper and asks the disciples to pray as well; and after Jesus' arrest, Peter denies three times that he even knows him. But he also weeps over his weakness and, upon encountering the risen Christ, professes his love and loyalty to him. His real name is Simon, but Jesus gives him the name Peter (which means rock), upon which the church is to be built, and he gives him—according to the account of the Evangelist Matthew—the "keys to the kingdom of heaven."

This little bridge is beautiful

Beautiful little town center

Beautiful view from the bridge over the Charente, the quays and the pier.

Church built in the 12th century, ravaged by History and men. Listed as a historical monument in 1941.

In 1982, the Ministry of Culture, under the leadership of Jack Lang, launched the "Walls in France" operation, which consisted of having 13 painted walls created in 13 cities in France by 13 different artists. In Angoulême, it was the Icelandic artist Erró who created a huge mural representing a multitude of comic book characters (Batman, Tarzan, Tintin, etc.). Abandoned for years, the mural was renovated in 2013. It is now considered the first painted wall in Angoulême. It was during the 90s that the production of painted walls accelerated, driven by a municipal policy called the "painted walls program". The aim was to show that Angoulême is indeed the "international capital of the ninth art" (comics). In 2021, we can admire 27 painted walls, as well as the whole that covers the building of the departmental archives of Charente. In 2005, it was Zep who proposed his "Titeuf".