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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, located in Nancras in Charente-Maritime, was built between the 13th and 14th centuries, mixing Romanesque and Gothic architectural elements. This monument, marked by successive destructions, preserves remains like a Gothic arch on its southern wall, witness to a lost crusillon that once supported the primitive bell tower, now replaced by a staircase tower enhanced in the seventeenth century. Its interior, composed of a unique nave and a Cistercian-inspired flatside choir, reflects this stylistic transition.

The church houses a polychrome statue of the Virgin, dated from its foundation, which was damaged during the French Revolution and restored in 1897 under the impulse of Abbé Auguste André, parish priest. This statue, considered miraculous, is associated with supernatural phenomena: at the time of its restoration, a liquid evoking blood would have expired, and it would have stopped a fire in the commune in 1898. These events gave rise to an annual pilgrimage, celebrated every 8 September since 1899 under the name of Notre-Dame-de-la-Foi.

Classified as a historical monument by decree of 23 February 1925, the church illustrates both a preserved religious heritage and a local devotion. Its current bell tower, integrated into the old stair tower, and its lateral chapel, the base of the old bell tower, bear witness to the transformations undergone over the centuries. The sanctuary remains an active place of worship, linked to popular traditions and a partially unknown history, but rich in symbols.

The architecture of the building, with its two-span nave and flat bedside, is part of a regional context where the transition churches between Romanesque and Gothic are frequent. The presence of the miraculous statue and the associated pilgrimage also make it a remarkable example of living religious heritage, where faith and local history mingle closely.

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