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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Grégoire d'Augé, mentioned for the first time in 1099 in an ordinance of Peter II, bishop of Poitiers, is ceded to the abbey of Saint-Maixent. The Romanesque nave, prior to this act, was never vaulted. In 1110, Pope Pascal II confirmed this gift with a pontifical bubble. The Gothic choir, built at the beginning of the 13th century, incorporates defensive elements from the beginning, reflecting the tensions of the time.

In the 16th century, the church suffered several ruins: in 1568, Calvinists commanded by Pluviault looted it, destroying doors and high altar. In 1570, they returned to burn it and shave the tower of the bell tower. Abandoned for 23 years, it was summarily restored in 1593. In the 18th century, major changes were made, such as the enlargement of the nave of 3 meters and the reconstruction of the western facade with a segmented arched portal.

The French Revolution marked a new turning point: in 1793 the church was desecrated, its archives burned and the high altar destroyed. Sold as a national property, it became a barn before being bought by the commune in 1806. Restorations allowed it to reopen to worship in 1807. In 1857, lightning seriously damaged the bell tower, causing work that continued until 1881. The bell tower and choir were classified as historical monuments in 1914, followed by the southern wall of the nave in 2003.

The building thus blends a Romanesque nave, an angeline Gothic choir of the 13th century, and post-fire changes of 1570. The high parts, the 18th century enlargements and the 19th and 20th century restorations illustrate its architectural and historical evolution. Today, the church remains a testimony of the religious and political upheavals that marked the Poitou since the Middle Ages.

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