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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pierre-Saint-Laurent de Touzac, located in Bellevigne (Charente), was built in the 12th century under the dependence of the diocese of Saintes. It belonged from 1110 to the cathedral chapter of Angoulême. Its original architecture, now partially destroyed, included a single nave and a transept covered with a cupola on pendants. The western façade, classified as a Historical Monument in 1964, is distinguished by a four-piece portal decorated with vegetal and geometric motifs, as well as blind arches on the upper floor.

During the Wars of Religion, the church served as a fortress and was almost entirely demolished in 1568. Rebuilt from 1622, it remained unfinished (without roof) until 1643, before being refurbished in 1656. The restorations continued in the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries, notably in 1843-1844 (devis de Demenceux), 1878, and 1883 (reconstruction of the bell tower by Carteau). The original right and abside bedside have disappeared, but remains suggest the ancient existence of a northern side chapel.

The square bell tower, whose only base is medieval, dominates a building marked by major transformations. In 1911, a hollow brick cradle replaced the original cover. The columns of the portal, which had now disappeared, gave way to long tillers in tympanum. The church thus illustrates the successive adaptations of a place of worship that has become a symbol of resistance and reconstruction.

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