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Origin and history

The church Saint-Jean-Baptiste de La Villedieu-du-Clain is a religious building whose facade and choir date from the 12th century, while the nave was rebuilt in the 19th century. It has been listed as a historic monument since December 13, 1907. Its Romanesque façade features a carved capital porch, paintings of the Annunciation, and modillon cornices. The choir, also a novel, has capitals representing plants and animals. Among the remarkable elements are a Virgin with the Child, a statue of Saint Neomaye, and a reliquary bust of a 17th or 18th century bishop. A crow sculpted representing a donkey playing frestel, symbol of ignorance and spiritual laziness, is also present, a recurring theme in the Poitou's novel bestiary.

The Villedieu-du-Clain, whose name might have come from the Latin Villa Dei (the House of God), is associated with the Templars, who would have established a command office there. This farm, made from donations, allowed the Order to finance its works in the East. The commune, located 13 km south of Poitiers, has had a history marked by the French Revolution, with the planting of a tree of freedom, symbol of revolutionary festivals, destroyed in 1799 during the royalist reaction.

The communal territory, marked by a landscape of hilly and wooded plains, is home to rich biodiversity, with forests, ponds and wetlands. The latter, created for agricultural and domestic needs, play a major ecological role. The church, as a central monument, reflects the religious and architectural history of the region, while being a witness to local traditions and social evolutions throughout the centuries.

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