Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Villeneuve-la-Comtesse, classified as a historic monument in 1959, is a unique nave Gothic building, built mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is distinguished by its six bays vaulted with warheads, the fourth of which supports a bell tower with foothills dating back to the late 15th century. The western facade, reborn in the 18th century, contrasts with medieval elements such as the capitals adorned with foliage, evoking an origin dating back to the 13th or 14th century.

According to the sources, this church replaced a first building founded in 1196 by Raoul de Lusignan. Ravaged by a fire in 1585 during the Wars of Religion, it preserves traces of this troubled period, such as veins resting on carved caps of characters in the sixth span. The bell tower, divided into two parts by narrow columns and bays, illustrates the religious architecture of the region.

The building, owned by the municipality, embodies both the medieval heritage and subsequent transformations, notably with its eighteenth century facade. Its inscription in historical monuments in 1959 underlines its cultural and architectural importance in the landscape of Charente-Maritime, in New Aquitaine.

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