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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Junien de Lusignan, founded in March 1025 by Hugues IV de Lusignan, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its construction spans two major fields: the first, at the beginning of the 11th century, concerns the northern and southern walls of the nave, the northern crusillon and its apsidiole; The second, between 1110 and 1130, was initiated by Hugues VI de Lusignan after his return from a crusade. The Romanesque building incorporates Gothic elements such as the sixteen pillars supporting the vaults, added after the destructions linked to the conflict between Henry II Plantagenet and the local lords in 1168.

In the 14th century, the church suffered heavy damage during the Hundred Years' War. In 1373, the English captured Lusignan, and Bertrand Du Guesclin laid siege to the nearby fortress. The bell tower collapses and the vaults yield, requiring restorations ordered by Jean de Berry, Count of Poitou, in 1377. The western facade and the vaults of the first five spans of the nave were rebuilt. The exterior of the building is distinguished by its carved bedside, adorned with capitals representing mythical creatures like dragons, a winged lion, or Melusine, a legendary figure linked to the Lusignan dynasty.

The south porch, vaulted in a broken cradle, opens on a flamboyant 15th century door, while the north porch, dating from the 12th century, leads to the former priory dependent on the Abbey of Nouaillé-Maupertuis. Its archvolt is decorated with a varied bestiary, including real and fantastic animals. Inside, the 57-metre-long nave alternate arches with dogive cross and broken cradle. The crypt of the 12th century, vaulted by ridges, rests on columns with capitals decorated with volutes. The stained glass windows, created in the 19th century by the workshops Eugene Denis and Guérithault, illustrate religious scenes such as the Assumption of the Virgin or Saint Martin de Tours.

Ranked a historical monument in 1862, the church embodies almost a millennium of religious and seigneurial history. Its architecture combines Romanesque and Gothic influences, while its sculptures, such as those of Melusine or sirens, reflect medieval beliefs and symbols. Successive restorations, especially after the conflicts of the Middle Ages, preserved this emblematic building of Poitevin heritage, closely linked to the powerful family of Lusignan, several of which became kings of Cyprus and Jerusalem.

The funerary slabs of the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as the mutilated girdle of the 13th century present in the church, recall its role as a burial place for local notables. The legend of Melusine, a fairy-snake mythical founder of the dynasty, is omnipresent in iconography, strengthening the link between the monument and Lusignan's historical identity. Today, the church remains a major testimony of Romanesque art in Poitou, marked by conflicts, reconstructions and Marian devotion.

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