サン＝タンドレ＝ド＝リドンでののおすすめグラベルライド

この小さな道は、グラベルに最適な白い砂利道で終わります。

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

Cute little coastal village at the mouth of a small canal, with a recreational port and a few restaurants as well as picnic spots for a break.

The Gallo-Roman amphitheater of Sainte, also called the Arena of Saintes, is an elliptical monument built between 40 and 50 AD, probably during the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius. It measures approximately 126 meters by 102 meters and could accommodate between 12,000 and 15,000 spectators, making it one of the largest and oldest amphitheaters in Gaul. Located in a natural valley called the "Arènes valley," it takes advantage of the topography to limit construction work, with stands backing onto the hill. The site has two monumental gates, the "Gate of the Living" to the east and the "Gate of the Dead" to the west, and has been the subject of a major restoration project since 2021 to preserve this exceptional heritage. Accessible on foot from the city center, it offers an immersion in Roman history with an educational trail and activities for families

The current church replaces a Romanesque church that occupied the same site. Poorly maintained and dilapidated over the centuries, it was in danger of falling into ruin when the Count of Sénectère, Lord of Didonne and Semussac, proposed to the parish community that a new building be built. The issue was clearly not a priority for the inhabitants, who, meeting in assembly in February 1771, were barely more than ten people deliberating, and agreed that a simple repair of the old sanctuary would be just as suitable. A chapter assembly, held on Sunday, April 2 of the same year, resolved the situation, and it was ultimately decided to rebuild the parish church, on the condition that as many materials as possible be reused to limit costs. Work began quickly, and just three years later, on November 22, 1774, the church was blessed and opened for worship during a solemn ceremony attended by Mr. Étienne de la Sale, Prior of Semussac, Mr. Vanson, Archpriest-Parish Priest of Arvert, and the Count of Sénectère, Lord of Didonne. However, signs of weakness quickly appeared in the bell tower, which the parish trustee, Jacques Guillot, proposed be demolished in 1788 and replaced with a simple pinnacle. The growth of the Catholic population during the 19th century necessitated an expansion of the church, and a campaign of renovations began in 1877 under the direction of the architect Eustase Rullier, also the master builder of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Pontaillac, in Royan. The nave was extended and the current bell tower-porch was built, giving the church the appearance it retains today. The interior, very simple, consists of a single nave flanked by two small transepts and a choir covered with lowered barrel vaults. The rear of the façade houses a neo-Gothic gallery. The former presbytery, built in 1729 and which became the town hall in 1980, retains a carved stone on its façade from the old Romanesque church, which appears to date from the 11th century.

February 1771: Count de Senecterre, owner of the Château de Didonne, proposed to the people of Semussac the reconstruction of the church. Few people showed interest, and the ten who remained to deliberate thought it would be better to repair the parish church while keeping it as it was. However, they agreed to demolish it entirely, along with the bell tower, and rebuild everything from scratch according to a plan to be agreed upon. Entremondit, Lord Count de Senecterre, the said prior, and four notables from Bemuses, to whom they gave full powers for this purpose, provided that it be within the boundaries of the old church and the adjoining cemetery and that the said church could accommodate the same number of people as the current church... and that, furthermore,...usable materials from the old one would be used first. (Departmental Archives of Charente-Maritime) The Count of Senecterre considered that a decision taken by such a small number of people was unacceptable. The inhabitants gathered in a chapter assembly on Sunday, April 2, 1771, agreed that the church be demolished and replaced by a new building, which would be completed in 1774. Etienne la Sale notes in the parish registers: Today, November 22, 1774, the blessing of the new church of Saint Etienne de Semussac was held, built with the care and expense of Mr. Etienne de la Sale, Prior of Semussac, the Count of Senecterre, and the inhabitants and tenants of the said parish. This blessing was performed by Mr. Vanson, parish priest and archpriest of Arvers, and the ecclesiastical curates, who attended and signed. for a mission, having been granted by the Bishop of Saintes on November 14, 1774. (Excerpt from Frédéric Chasseboeuf's book, Le Château de Didonne)

Matata Caves

Originally 75 million years ago, natural holes dug into the sea. Later, they were conditioned by man to serve as homes. They are restored and can be visited.