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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Xambes, located in the Charente department in New Aquitaine, is a religious building whose origins date back to the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. It was deeply restored in the second half of the 19th century, especially after the collapse of its vault in 1876. Ranked a historic monument on November 13, 1969, it illustrates the architectural evolution of rural churches, between Romanesque heritage and subsequent adaptations.

Originally, Notre-Dame de Xambes was a perpetual vicarie attached to the local priory, itself dependent on the abbey of Saint-Amant-de-Boixe since about 1140. The site would have been a place of pilgrimage in the 11th century, after the supposed discovery of relics of Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Vincent de Zaragoza in a well of the village. This spiritual dimension strengthens its anchor in regional religious history.

The architecture of the church reveals successive strata: a single nave probably the oldest, a semi-circular apse with flat bedside dated the second half of the 12th century, and a square bell tower added in front of the primitive building. The engaged columns of the bedside, with capitals carved of hooks and foliage, once supported the doubleau preceding the cul-de-four. The local stone, typical of the lower Kimmeridgian, characterizes its construction. The changes include a probable fortification during the Hundred Years' War and the addition of a wall separating nave and choir at an indefinite time.

The presbytery, built in 1742, bears witness to a subsequent occupation of the site. The church, owned by the commune, preserves protected elements such as its three-piece Romanesque portal, whose carved capitals recall medieval art. Its listing in the historical monuments inventory in 1969 highlights its heritage value, between religious memory and rural architecture.

Xambes, crossed by an old saunier road connecting the port of Basseau, was a place of passage where a toll was paid. This geographical position, combined with its religious vocation, probably contributed to its medieval development. The church remains today a marker of the Charentais heritage, between monastic heritage and historical transformations.

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