Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The cemetery cross of Chantillac, located in the village of this Charente commune, dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries, although its precise dating in the Middle Ages remains hypothetical. This funerary monument is distinguished by its ubiquitous sculpted decoration, where even the base has worked mouldings. The drum, structured in four vertical faces bounded by columns, ends with a pinacle. Three horizontal levels, highlighted by mouldings, one of which is decorated with foliage, organize its composition.

On the first level, broad bands evoking grooves adorn the base, while on the second level, four figures in ecclesiastical robes – today without busts and heads – suggest a religious dimension. The last level, the best preserved, presents four round-bosse figures, housed in three-lobed arched niches topped by flamboyant gaubles. The summital cross, added later, crowns the whole. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1990, this cross illustrates the evolution of Gothic styles and the importance of Christian symbols in medieval funeral spaces.

The nearby church, mentioned in the sources, has undergone significant Gothic modifications, which could indicate a stylistic or historical link between the two buildings. The cross, owned by the commune, bears witness to artistic and commemorative practices peculiar to the Poitevin-Charentais countryside at the end of the Middle Ages. Its state of conservation and its location near the church (Cadastre ZC 69) make it a key heritage element to understand the organization of sacred spaces at that time.

External links