Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint Sulpice de Chillac, built in the 12th century, presents a single nave simple plan divided into three spans, ending with a straight bedside. Its interior walls are rhythmized by large arches resting on massive pilasters, while brick-ribed vaults (added in 1881) are supported by round columns. The transept, slightly enlarged, houses a dome on pendants. A wall now separates the active part of the old choir building, once vaulted with three 15th century Gothic spans, now destroyed.

The western facade, remodeled in 1898, opens with a full-cindered portal with three arches and circular columns, flanked by two blind doors. The tympanum of the blind south door has two carved heads. The triangular gable, truncated, ends with a modern campanile, while the north side preserves the square tower of the 15th century bell tower. The church, damaged during the Hundred Years' War, was restored in the 15th century, then modified in the 19th century by architects Edward Warin and Jules Laine (voûts and sacristy, 1881–82), and P. Texier (façade, 1898).

Classified as a Historic Monument in 1961 for its facades and roofs, the church belongs to the town of Chillac (Charente). Its history reflects the vicissitudes of medieval conflicts and subsequent architectural adaptations, combining primitive novel, late Gothic and 19th century interventions. The protected elements include facades, square bell tower, and brick vaults, witnesses of these superimposed periods.

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