Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assumption de Fenioux, built in the 12th century in a Saintongese Romanesque style, rises on older remains. Its construction spanned the entire century: the nave and the small side door (beginning of the twelfth) preceded the facade (second half) and the bell tower (last quarter). The apse, redesigned in the 15th century, and the upper parts of the bell tower, rebuilt in the 19th century, testify to a continuous architectural evolution.

The monument is distinguished by its absence of transept and its unique nave with four spans, once occupied by a stand until the 19th century. The western portal, a sculptural masterpiece, is decorated with sixteen columns that frame five finely-worked buildings. The latter have a rich iconographic program: zodiac, Christ surrounded by wise and crazy virgins, paschal lamb with angels, allegories of vices and virtues, and plant motifs.

Ranked a historic monument in 1840, the church illustrates the climax of Saintongeese Romanesque art. Its two-storey, square bell tower, topped by openwork lanterns and an arrow, was restored at the end of the 19th century. The side walls, mixing stone and stone, keep a small north door from the beginning of the twelfth, flanked by three columns with vegetal voussures, highlighting the mastery of the Romanesque artisans.

The façade, entirely dedicated to the portal, concentrates an exceptional decoration where each column extends into carved arches. This harmony between structure and ornamentation, typical of Saintonge's novel, earned the building the nickname of 'the pearl of Saintonge'. Its early ranking among historical monuments underlines its heritage importance since the 19th century.

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