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Origin and history

The ancient Taizon bridge, built in the 13th century in a Romanesque style, spans the Thouet between the communes of Argenton-l-Church and Saint Martin-de-Sanzay. Its arches in a broken and double-vessure hangar, typical of medieval architecture, are worth an inscription to the additional inventory of historical monuments on September 22, 1943. A chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de la Pitié, built in the centre of the bridge by Jacques Thibault for his wife Jeanne Mestreau, welcomed services celebrated by the parish priests of the neighbouring parishes. The bishop of Poitiers, Bishop of Saint-Auclaire, made a pastoral visit there in 1763.

During World War II, in August 1944, the bridge was partially destroyed by German troops. After the conflict, a wooden arch and a temporary bridge (Pont Bellay) were installed until 1966, when a new, larger structure was built nearby to respond to the growing traffic. The intensely progressive Thouet and the invasive vegetation buried the arches and piles of the medieval bridge, increasing the risk of flooding for the residents. Recently, after the acquisition of parcels by the commune, the remains of the bridge, as well as the foundations of the chapel and a healing linked to the right of way, were cleared.

The Taizon bridge was subject to a tithe in the Middle Ages: the peasants should pay part of their rye harvest to the Hospitallers of the Prailles Commandory, members of the order of St John of Jerusalem. This tax system reflected the strategic importance of the bridge as a gateway and source of income for local religious communities. The excavations also revealed traces of this activity, as well as architectural elements related to the missing chapel.

Today, although restoration work has been interrupted, the site remains a major testimony of the medieval heritage of the Deux-Sèvres. Its history, marked by destruction and reconstruction, illustrates the challenges of preserving historical monuments in the face of natural and human hazards. The local association for the conservation of the bridge is campaigning for its preservation and tourist development.

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