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Origin and history

The church Saint-Michel de Champagne-Mouton, located in the Charente department, dates back to the 12th century for its oldest parts. Its Romanesque portal, originally from the chapel of the nearby castle, was moved and redesigned in the 19th century. This portal features a two-piece archvolt, a tympanum adorned with a Lamb carrying the cross surrounded by angels, and carved capitals. The priory, formerly dependent on Saint-Michel de la Cluse Abbey in Savoie, was later attached to the monastery of Bussière-Badil in Limousin. The church, common to the parish and the priory, adopted a form of Latin cross, with an octagonal bell tower at the cross of the transept.

In the 15th century, the southern wall of the nave and the vault were rebuilt after damage attributed to the Hundred Years' War, as evidenced by the shield of the seigneurs of the House (after 1428). A side chapel was added in 1510 by Alexander de Farthays, a Scottish gentleman. The Wars of Religion also caused damage, and the bell tower was destroyed before 1591. In the 17th century, Saint-Martin parish was annexed to Saint-Michel. The building, in poor condition in the 18th century, benefited from major restorations in the 19th century: construction of a new bell tower (1864), moving the gate, repairing the vaults (1891), and adding foothills.

The 19th century works, led by architects Lemaire de Confolens and Jean Roy de Chabanais, included the construction of a sacristy (1838), the restoration of the lateral chapel (1862), and the addition of windows in the north wall (1864). The gate, moved to erect the bell tower, lost some of its original sculptures, described by Abbé Michon. Replacement stones and architectural changes (brick vaults, double arches) reflect the interventions of this period. The church, classified as a Historical Monument for its portal in 1948, preserves traces of its medieval past and modern transformations.

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