Romanesque Church

The village grew up around an early 13th century church built during the reign of Henry III, King of England and Duke of Aquitaine, by the ecclesiastics of St Astier, followers of St Siege.

The architecture is pure Romanesque; particularly notable are the monumental facade and, inside, the oval dome in the centre of the church, under the belfry.

The facade provides a clear example of the Saintongeais style and is composed in three stages.
 

The Romanesque belfry has flat buttresses and the apse was raised to provide further fortifications during the English Wars.

A Minim Priory was founded near the village by the Count of Gurson in 1615 but it was totally destroyed during the Revolution.

A stone cross marks the place where the priory once stood but otherwise the only ruin still visible is the arch of a bridge over which ran the medieval Talbot path and a Roman road before that.

The place name Plagnac points to the probable existence of a Gallo-Roman house on this spot.

At 400 meters from the town centre and its remarkable 12th century Romanesque church, are the washing-place and the old fountain of Guinot. The site of the washing-place and the fountain occupies a small, verdant, rural valley. A marked hiking trail, recorded in the Departmental Plan of Walking Routes, has been created. The fountain of Guinot is indicated on the circuit as a place to visit and rest. The place is very old, having been the subject of ancient rites and endowed with thousand-year-old legends, according to historical publications. It is a cultural place for the curious. Culture also, in view of events planned for 2011 on the theme of folk tales (exhibitions, meetings, recitals, etc. ..), the choice of this project being based on the fact that many stories have been recorded at St. Martin de-Gurson and published by contemporary authors in French and Occitan.