The 10 Best Monuments & Statues in Poitou-Charentes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

The Abbaye aux Dames is today the musical hub of Saintes. It was the first convent in the Saintonge region. The nuns were powerful women, wearing crosses and striking coins. The influence of the abbey was vast. This is still true today thanks to its musical activities and its unique architectural heritage.The Notre Dames church is a pearl of Romanesque art. The portal is richly decorated. The bell tower, in the shape of a pine cone and covered in stone scales, can be visited. Why not follow the path to heaven, you'll find a panoramic view over the town of Saintes. Discover the convent building, from its chapter house to the nuns' private quarters.

This monument is the oldest fort on the island of Re. Built in 1626, it was primarily intended to ensure the sovereignty of King Louis XIII on the island, which at that time was a strategic territory for the crown facing the Protestants of La Rochelle. He had an important role during the siege of the island by the Duke of Buckingham in 1627. Featuring a small port inside its fortifications, he allowed the landing of the royal troops at night, which participated in the victory of the French troops resisting on the island. This site was threatened with destruction many times over the centuries, especially during the reign of Louis XIV with engineer Vauban. This man destroy the entire outer defensive system and construct buildings in line with the needs of the time. Fort Pree was forgotten at the end of the seventeenth century in favor of the citadel of Saint Martin de Re, built between 1681 and 1684. During the next century, he played a secondary role fortress also served the landing of all travelers from the mainland. At the end of the nineteenth century, its architecture is profoundly changed. The old buildings are experiencing many changes and even total destruction. The army then assigned to a small fort defense function of the newly constructed port Pallice. The army occupied the fort until the early years of the twentieth century. German troops occupied the fort during World War II and renamed it Bertha battery. He returned to the public domain in 1948, when a combination of the department of Eure bought it to turn it into a summer camp center. It was a summer camp for thirty years, then, in the early 80s, the monument was bought by its current owner the CNOSAP. The CNOSAP rehbilitated the fort, and had it classified as a historical monuments.