The history of the city
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Every year, Pont l'abbe d'Arnoult, flourishing town of 2,000 inhabitants welcomes a large number of visitors attracted by its monuments that reflect the historical past of that nice town of Saintonge.
Its name, due to its particular place, comes from the latin : Ponti Labium ( lip of the sea ). It was a big town under the Romans. The town got bigger in the XI th century. Geoffroy Martel, Count of Anjou, gave Pont l'abbe d'Arnoult and its church St-Pierre a lot of land that would later be given to the « Abbaye aux dames » in Saintes. Built in the XIIth century, St Pierre Church, whose portal is so nice, it's a living testimony of the magnificence of the religious architecture of that period. |
A century later, the town got surrounded with fortifications whose present remains are the moat and the porch, with its two round towers. Near the church , and also belonging to the Abbey of Saintes, a big priory housed nuns. This priory has been restored several times.
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Near there, some old cliffs, « les rochers des Cadorettes » remind us that the sea was once in this valley. The legend of « Radegonde » is still alive in the wild place where she came to hide in one hole, fleeing from her cruel husband, King Clotaire I who had killed her father and her brother. The truth, according to historians could be slightly different.
A lot of the buildings were damaged during civil wars and the 100 year war. Nonetheless, in the cemetery, we can still see the tomb of a man « Citoyen Bienassis » who took part in the taking of the Bastille. Later on he bought a monastery in the town, when the clergy’s belongings were auctioned. |
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You must also go and see Rene Caille’s tomb. He was an explorer whose dad had been a convict. He discovered several countries, like Tombouctou in 1828. He spent the last 6 years of his life in Labaderre and was buried in Pont l'abbe d'Arnoult.
Another explorer : Liotard ( 1858 – 1916 ) also lay there. He went to Congo and ended up his career as honorary governor of colonies. |
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