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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-de-l'Assumption de Châtres Abbey, located in Saint-Brice, Charente, was founded between the year 1000 and 1077, according to the sources, by a lord of Bourg-Charente or Arnaud Taillefer, Count of Angoulême. Its Romanesque abbey, built in the 12th century, is a remarkable example of Saintonge's dome church, with a unique nave covered with three domes on pendants. The building, enriched by a disciple of Robert d'Arbrussel, housed regular canons of St Augustine living in a community under the vow of poverty.

The history of the Abbey is marked by successive destructions. During the Hundred Years' War, the Romanesque abside was destroyed, while in 1562 a fire ravaged the north arm of the transept and the convent buildings during the Wars of Religion. At the time of the Revolution, the community was abolished in 1791, and the premises, sold as national property in 1795, became a factory and then a farm, erasing much of the conventual remains. Only today remain the church, a 15th century chapel (south absidiole), and some traces of the convent buildings.

Ranked a historic monument in 1948, the church is distinguished by its three-registry façade decorated with archatures and rinceaux carved capitals, as well as its polylobed portal. The nave, 45 meters long, alternate cupolas and pendants, while the chorus, rebuilt in the 14th century after the destruction of the abside, is vaulted dogives. Polychrome frescoes, rediscovered during renovations in 2017, and a local sound and light show have helped to enhance this heritage. Guided tours are organized in summer.

The sober architecture of elevation contrasts with the decorative richness of the facade, flanked by foothills-columns. The partially destroyed transept retains a dome similar to that of the nave, while the bell tower, formerly present, has been shaved. The dropural walls are reinforced by broken arches, and the flat bedside of the choir, illuminated by a third-point bay, dates from the 14th century. The current remains recall its religious past and the hazards of its history, between medieval foundations and post-revolutionary transformations.

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