PUYPEROUX ABBEY

Limited by the Arce and Tude, the commune houses a precious religious building. Saint Gilles Abbey. Legend is that Saint Gilles founded it in the century by launching his hammer: " Where it falls, I will build an abbey. " In the th century, the monks left the site which became a simple priory. It was rediscovered in the th century by Abbot Michon, who, seduced by the beauty of his ruins, set up a congregation of nuns there. The abbey was restored, expanded and became a pilgrimage site to Saint Gilles. You can reach the church by a huge and a monumental staircase. In the nave, the tomb of Saint Gilles, guarded by protective lions, takes place in a enfeu. In the transept, two passages bypassing the pillars of the cross support a octagonal dome on the tubes. This is where the sculpted decor of the church is concentrated. The apse is the oldest element of Puypéroux and possibly the Charente. Outside, the sobriety is extreme. The façade, which was strongly restored in the th century, shows only a few medieval capitals under the arches of the portal. The mary buildings and cemetery of the sisters set the church.