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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Macrin-Saint-Jean-Baptiste, located in Criteuil-la-Magdeleine, was built in the late twelfth century. From a cruciform plane, it consists of a single nave vaulted with veins and ivy, a transept surmounted by a dome on pendants, and a choir with similar vaults. Its western portal, adorned with diamond tips and interlaces, opens under a partially mutilated cornice. An octagonal bell tower dominates the transept, while a north side chapel, added in the 15th century, completes the building.

The church was restored after the destruction of the Hundred Years' War, then again in 1775, and finally in 1889-1890. It housed a vicariate on which several local parishes depended. Its architecture combines late Romanesque elements (portal, modillons) and Gothic elements (lierne vaults, broken arches). Classified as a Historical Monument in 1952, it now belongs to the municipality and bears witness to stylistic evolutions between the 12th and 15th centuries.

The western façade, although partially altered, retains remarkable sculptural details, such as the portal or arches of the upper floor. The nave, covered with vaults with complex veins, contrasts with the simplicity of the right bedside. The successive restorations preserved this emblematic building of Charentais religious heritage, marked by its central role in the medieval parish organization.

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