Selection of the most beautiful monuments in Charente-Maritime

Defensive heritage
17123 Île-d'Aix

Fort Boyard, built in the 19th century on a sand bank between the island of Aix and the island of Oléron, is an emblematic maritime fortification of Charente-Maritime, transformed into a prison and became famous thanks to an international television game.

Gothic Church
17320 Marennes-Hiers-Brouage

Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Church, built in the 17th and 18th centuries in Marennes-Hiers-Brouage (Charente-Maritime), is an emblematic place linked to the history of New France and Samuel de Champlain, with commemorative stained glass windows and Renaissance architecture.

Fortified Church
17137 Esnandes

The Saint-Martin church of Esnandes, built in the 12th century in Esnandes (Charente-Maritime), combines Romanesque architecture with Gothic fortifications of the 15th century. Ranked a historic monument in 1840, it dominates the Poitevin Marais with its round path and massive walls, witness to a religious and military past.

Romanesque art saintongeais
17500 Jonzac

The Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais church of Jonzac, a Romanesque Romanesque building of the 12th and 15th centuries, is distinguished by its adorned facade and its history marked by the wars of Religion. Located in Charente-Maritime, it houses a Merovingian cemetery discovered in 2009.

Modern Church
17200 Royan

The Notre-Dame de Royan Church, a masterpiece of modern architecture in rough concrete, was built between 1955 and 1958 in this coastal town of New Aquitaine, replacing a neo-Gothic sanctuary destroyed in 1945. Its bold style and imposing dimensions make it a symbol of post-war reconstruction.

Donjons
17800 Pons

The Pons dungeon, built in the 12th century, is an iconic Romanesque dungeon-palais of Saintonge, overlooking the Sugne valley in Pons (Charente-Maritime). Symbol of the city, it peaks at 33 meters.

Donjons
17450 Fouras

The fort and the citadel of Fouras, built between the 15th and 17th centuries, dominate the mouth of the Charente in Charente-Maritime. This strategic site combines medieval donjon and maritime fortifications of Vauban, witness to conflicts for the control of the Atlantic coast.

Maritime Corderie
17300 Rochefort

The Royal Corderie de Rochefort, built in the 17th century, is an industrial building of 374 meters long, classified historical monument, located in the maritime arsenal of Rochefort in New Aquitaine.