Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Antonine monastery of Pondaurat, located in the department of the Gironde, was founded at the end of the 13th century by the monks of the order of Saint-Antoine, a hospital and religious community known as Antonines. This Conventual complex, located on Via Lemovicensis, one of the major routes of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, included a church dedicated to St.Antoine, a fortified monastery, a mill and a presbytery. These buildings were strategically located near a toll bridge crossing Bassanne, in the heart of the village, near the present D12 departmental road. The whole became property of the Order of Malta, before being sold as a national good during the French Revolution.

The mill, a key element of the commandory, was a defensive structure made of cut stone and limestone, with three murderers controlling access to the seven arched barrage bridge. Working until the end of the 19th century, it was disused in the 1960s before being transformed into a private home. The monastery is now home to a winery. The facades and roofs of the monastery and mill were inscribed in the Historical Monuments on 12 July 1990 and 30 November 1990 respectively, thus preserving this heritage linked to hospital and jacquarian history.

Architecturally, the site illustrates the religious and defensive duality of medieval commanderies. The Antonins, an order specialized in the care of the sick (especially those suffering from the evil of the ardent), offered hospitality to the pilgrims while controlling a strategic crossing point. The location between Puybarban and Savignac on Via Lemovicensis highlights its role in the exchanges and devotion of the Middle Ages. After the Revolution, the separation of property led to a distribution of uses: the church remained communal property, while the other buildings were privatized or converted.

Historical sources, including the Merimée bases and the local archives, confirm the importance of the site in the aquitaine and jacquarian heritage. Although partially redesigned over the centuries, the whole preserves traces of its medieval and hospitable past, testifying to the influence of religious orders on pilgrimage routes and rural economy. Today, the monastery and its mill remain identity markers of the village of Pondaurat, in the Entre-deux-Mers.

External links