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Origin and history

Saint-Maixent de Pambroux Church, located in the Deux-Sèvres department in New Aquitaine, is a religious building whose origins date back to at least the twelfth century. It was built in the presumed location of an older church, dependent from the 10th century on the Abbey of Saint-Maixent. The bell tower, of a barlong plane and decorated with archatures on two floors, as well as some primitive bays, testify to this Romanesque period. The nave, rebuilt in the 14th century, has four vaulted spans of ridges and double arches resting on grouped columns, while the square bedside is pierced with one oculus and two bays.

The monument has undergone many changes and repairs over the centuries. In 1568, some of the buildings, surrounded by moat, were ruined, and urgent work was undertaken in the seventeenth century, as evidenced by the date of 1651 engraved on the staircase door. The church, which became a communal property after the Revolution, was restored on several occasions, notably in 1874-1875 under the direction of architect Perlat, who reconstructed the dogid vaults and the geminous bays destroyed in 1568. Ranked a historic monument in 1913, it also preserves an octagonal staircase of the 15th century, vestige of the former priory adjoining.

The former priory, united with the Jesuit College of Poitiers in 1607, was sold as a national good to the Revolution, with the exception of the church. It continued to serve as a place of parish worship, despite successive changes in the surrounding buildings. The covers were redone several times (1930, 1941, 1971), and the bell tower was cleared on its southern face in 1941. The revolutionary inscription engraved on the core of the screw staircase recalls the upheavals of this period.

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