Saintes

A Gallo-Roman Town

Boasting 2,000 years of history, Saintes has an exceptionally rich architectural heritage, going from Gallo-Roman vestiges to medieval religious monuments. Along La Flow Vélo®, explore this pearl of the Saintonge Region, designated a Ville d’Art et d’Histoire.

Discover Saintes’s ancient vestiges

As you arrive in the centre of Saintes by bike, you’ll spot, beside the Charente River, the Arch of Germanicus, the town’s main symbol today. In the period when Rome dominated Gaul, this arch stood at one end of the bridge linking the banks of the Charente, but it was shifted to the other bank in the 19th century, when the ancient Roman bridge was about to fall down.

Very close to this double-bayed arch stands Saintes Musée Archéologique. It contains a remarkable collection of Gallo-Roman carved stone items, including columns, capitals and reliefs. These elements came from a variety of ancient edifices, parts re-employed to build the town’s slightly later ramparts, including bits of altars, temples, a basilica and mausoleums.

However, if there’s a single monument in Saintes that reflects the grandeur of the place in Roman times, it’s the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre. To find it, you need to climb a bit, as the monument was built into the side of a little valley above town. This immense structure could hold up to 15,000 spectators.

The green setting around the amphitheatre’s ranks of seats adds a bucolic atmosphere if you take a tour by foot to see this monument. In summer, as night falls, and when concerts and festivals take place here on certain balmy evenings, the place is lit up, creating a magical ambiance for spectators.

Music at the heart of the Abbaye-aux-Dames

On the other side of town, on the east bank of the Charente, immerse yourself in a completely different world – that of Romanesque art… along with music!

Go down to the river bank and take the footbridge to reach Rue de l’Arc de Triomphe, a street leading directly to the Abbaye-aux-Dames, a converted abbey where you can now experience a unique musical adventure.

Gems of Romanesque art 

This prestigious monastic ensemble was, in centuries past, a powerful Benedictine abbey reserved for women. The abbey church stands out for its curious steeple, topped by a roof decorated with tiles like scales, and for its magnificent doorway decorated with finely carved pillars and figures. The Abbaye-aux-Dames remains one of the greatest gems of Romanesque art in the Saintonge Region.

The abbey’s youth orchestra

Note that the abbey also contains a school for young musicians and a concert venue used year-round, the annual highlight being the renowned Festival de Saintes in July.

Given the abbey’s all-encompassing musical world, it’s no surprise that a wholly unique tour has been created here – Musicaventure.

Musicaventure

With your headphones and digital device, you’re set to embark on a musical journey combining the place’s history with fitting music. At the heart of the abbey, the contemporary musical merry-go-round set under an enormous glass and steel dome has been named the Bazilik.

This phantasmagorical wooden dragon with its cockerel’s head and snake’s tail is sleeping as you arrive. To awaken it, take a seat on one of the 24 digital instruments inserted into the beast’s body. Then let yourself be swept along by musical experimentation mixed by the Basilik, providing you with a unique composition! Riding along La Flow Vélo®, do make time to enjoy this very original musical experience.

On a Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage trail

Another gem of Saintonge architecture, St Eutrope Church, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site dedicated to the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage trails. This edifice calls on those passing through, be it on foot or by bike, to stop and pay homage. The place has an enchanting atmosphere. The crypt, also called the lower church (or église basse) is one of the largest in Europe, the vaulted ceiling supported by massive pillars. The upper church is dominated on the outside by an impressive, 65m-high spire, while inside it contains remarkable carved capitals.