Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pierre de Dampierre-sur-Boutonne, located in the Charente-Maritime department, is a religious building whose origins date back to at least the eleventh century. The first written mentions come from a donation made by Ramnufle Rabiol Maingot and his mother Rangarde to the monks of Saint-Cyprien: they then ceded the church and the adjacent land to build houses there. This donation marks the beginning of the documented history of the site, although the major reconstruction of the building was attributed to William III, grandson of Hugues Maingot, Seneschal of Poitou in 1177.

The choir and the l-abside, which witnessed the Romanesque period of the 12th century, have remarkable architectural features. The north choir has two spans with slender columns, discharge arches and double roller windows, decorated with capital columns. The semicircular abside, divided into three similar spans, is distinguished by its exterior decoration where bundles of columns are detached on a neat stone apparatus. Each window is framed by these sculptural elements, reflecting Poitevin Romanesque art.

In the 16th century, a seigneurial chapel was attached to the south of the choir, covered with a ceiling with caissons and incorporating historic capitals. The nave, dating back to the late 11th century, would initially have included three vaulted bays in a cradle and a dome span on pendants. Part of these vaults, as well as the last two spans, were destroyed between the 12th and 13th centuries. The vault in the cradle of the choir, collapsed at an unknown time, was replaced by a plaster vault. The ensemble, classified as a historical monument in 1969, thus illustrates centuries of architectural and religious evolution.

The Saint-Pierre church, owned by the commune, is located in the heart of the village of Dampierre-sur-Boutonne, at the address "In the middle of the village" or approximately 6 Rue des Écoles. Its classification by decree of 21 November 1969 highlights its heritage value, both for its architecture and for its history related to local seigneurial families, such as the Maingot. Available sources, including the Merimée and Monumentum bases, confirm its status as an emblematic building of Charentais-Maritime religious heritage.

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