Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Michel-de-Rivière, located in La Roche-Chalais, is a rectangular flat bedside building, built mainly in the Middle Ages, with elements dating back to the twelfth century. The nave, composed of three spans, opens directly on the choir, covered with a false plaster vault. The western facade, adorned with a double rank of blind archatures, is the only remaining Romanesque vestige, while the thickness of the walls evokes a templar influence, linked to the Commandery of Condat.

In the 15th century, the church, then seat of a preceptory dependent on the commandory of Chante-Géline, underwent major reconstructions: nave and bedside were rebuilt, and primers of veins, traces of a destroyed vault, were still visible. Ruined during the Wars of Religion, it was restored in the 17th century, period to which were added the southern gate and a bell tower with circular pediment. The western facade, surmounted by a winged wall-closing wall, dominates the building.

Classified as a Historical Monument in 1925 for its western facade, the church retains a variety of architectural elements, reflecting its evolution: from the medieval priory cited in the 12th century in the cartular of Barbezieux to its later transformations. The hollow roof tiles, in croup above the bedside, and the low cradle replacing the old vault complete this complex heritage, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and classical heritage.

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