Sunday, 17 February 2013

Church of St Martin at Ventouse



While driving back home a few weeks ago, through the rolling hills around St Angeau, we passed near the small village of Ventouse, and off to our left, we saw the tower of a lovely little church; this definitely warranted a diversion! The village is situated a few hundred metres north of a long straight east-west road built by the Romans to follow a low ridge through the landscape. The settlement bordered to the north by the river Sonnette, a narrow and very twisty tributary of the Charente. 



It is today home to only 121 inhabitants, but in the Middle Ages, it must have been important enough to warrant this very sturdily built place of worship!
The village church is dedicated to Saint Martin, was built in the 12th century in the Romanesque style and has been a monument protected by the French authorities since 1925. The photo above shows that it has undergone some modification in its history and several of the buttresses can be seen to be the worse for wear! The small single storey, more recent, extension seen on the right seemed to be the priest's accommodation!

The main entrance, with door open when we arrived...... but no-one about....

Available commentary on this feature over the front door refers to six corbels (the right hand one having presumably fallen off!), two of which represent the seven deadly sins. Working from the left, they are apparently Wrath (a man tearing his clothes), then a roughly carved and unidentified figure, the third being Gluttony (a man devouring a cake), fourth is a man wearing a barrel (is that a sin?!) and fifth, a man tearing his hair. The missing sixth corbel was a bird's head and between the corbels is further decoration showing a siren, a Sagittarius and a hunter with his dogs. It's fascinating to see subjects important to the sculptor and the villagers all those years ago!

 The very well preserved nave, looking towards the altar. This part of the church is said to measure about 180 square metres (roughly 2000 square feet)

I have been advised by my followers this is Saint Teresa, I gather that the fact she is holding roses is a give away. Not being a catholic I was unaware of this. The shrine is immaculately kept with fresh flowers.

Above and below, fragments of ancient wall painting; this rich decoration  must have been a delight to the parishioners all those hundreds of years ago, and the undoubted cost  of this embellishment gives a further hint of this small building's former importance!


The stone flag floor has seen some damage and wear in its life! Seating for 100 people, maybe?

This stone looks very old and I wonder if it is possibly part of the original font!!

After leaving, we encountered the above-mentioned river Sonnette, which was that day well and truly in flood. We seem to be in a spell of endless rain and even our lawn at home (and we are on high ground)  squelches with every step we take!

This was one of the first sunsets we had seen for ages and even this was very half hearted!







See also - My Life Before Charente Updated 17/02/2013

and my daily photo diary at http://photodiarydps.blogspot.fr/


Please note that 'The sun is shining and some time was spent in the garden' has been transferred with it comments to its rightful place at my daily   Photodiarydps.  Apologies for the error!



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Location: Ventouse, Charente, France

55 comments:

  1. jaz@octoberfarm17 February 2013 at 14:51

    what a beautiful church! i love old churches. isn't that st. teresa?

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    1. Diane17 February 2013 at 15:36

      Thanks Jaz for the correction, not being a catholic I presumed it was the Virgin Mary. I have made a note on the post. Have a good day Diane

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  2. chow and chatter17 February 2013 at 15:42

    lovely adore historic churches and see you for dinner later

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    1. Diane17 February 2013 at 16:08

      Thanks Rebecca, on our way ha ha. Have a good day Diane

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  3. Gloria Baker17 February 2013 at 16:30

    These pictures are awesome I love old churchs are special, you know Im catholic but the most of all new church (beauty too) almost dont have saints!, I think this is Santa teresita del niño Jesus (By the roses) when she die all smell with roses, I love her.
    Thanks again by a lovely travel with you dear Diane, take care!!

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    1. Diane17 February 2013 at 21:57

      Gloria thanks for confirming this is Saint Teresa as I am not catholic you and jaz have taught me something today! Take care and have a good week Diane

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    2. Gloria Baker19 February 2013 at 01:00

      Diane I remember Santa Teresa was french! the other name of her is Santa Terese de Liseux (Im not sure if is good write) a pretty life and die so young!!

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    3. Rhodesia19 February 2013 at 09:55

      Thanks Gloria for you input, I really do appreciate it. Sometimes it is difficult for me to write up on churches as I am not catholic and I do not know some of the details as in this post. Thanks so much Diane

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  4. Craig17 February 2013 at 16:42

    That would make rather a nice house (with quite a bit of restoration) wouldn't it Diane?
    Glad that you're getting sun at last - same here and I think it's to be dry all week - yippee!

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    1. Diane17 February 2013 at 21:58

      Craig lots of work to restore me thinks.... It looks like we also have a week of no rain though they are threatening us with misty days! There is a lot of tiding up to do in the garden so I hope I can get out there. Have a good week. Diane

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  5. GaynorB17 February 2013 at 18:39

    I love the corbels!

    Interesting post and place to visit.

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    1. Diane17 February 2013 at 22:00

      Gaynot I wish I had of take the corbels on zoom. Only when we got home a looked up the history did we find how much there was of interest! Have a great week Diane

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  6. Vera17 February 2013 at 19:56

    I love the simple style of the churches here, although at first I thought them spartan, but now I have come to enjoy their lack of ornateness, and the fact that they don't fill the insides of their churches with coffins and memorials to the dead!

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    1. Diane17 February 2013 at 22:02

      Vera I love the churches here but you are right they are not nearly as fancy inside as some of the English ones. Mostly they have lots of history which we enjoy looking up. Take care, hope the floods go down this week, Diane

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  7. the fly in the web17 February 2013 at 21:21

    I now feel tempted to see what happens to one if wearing a barrel...
    As you say, it makes you wonder about the history of the village to have a church like that...

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    1. Diane17 February 2013 at 22:05

      Ha ha Fly, can you imagine us all running around and rolling down hills in barrels, thanks for the laugh. It seems strange that such a small place should have a church like this, there must be more to the history that we found but..... Keep well Diane

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  8. Joyful17 February 2013 at 22:16

    You are blessed with so much history, and beauty around you. I love the old church. Wishing you a great week ahead. xx

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    1. Diane17 February 2013 at 22:26

      Joyful I cannot believe I hated history at school, I now find it so interesting, and as you say we are lucky to be surrounded by it. Hope you also have a wonderful week. Take care Diane

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    2. Joyful23 February 2013 at 12:00

      Seems like so many place are getting lots of rain. Not only you in France, we here in Canada but also in Queensland, Australia and in Kenya now for quite some time. It's a wonder that we can stay dry. Yet the glaciers in Northern Canada are melting rapidly. It sounds so dismal but I guess the earth does go through cycles and having so many humans consuming everything in sight is no doubt a big factor. After those heavy thoughts, I hope you a lighter, brighter weekend. Have fun,

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  9. Ellie17 February 2013 at 23:40

    I just love looking at these old churches, beautiful stonework.
    We have had so much rain here too, I am actually getting a bit fed up with it. Today hasn't been a bad day though maybe we are going to have a good spell, here's hoping. Hope you get some nice weather too. :))

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    1. Diane18 February 2013 at 16:26

      Ellie I can hardly believe it we have had 2 days of sun. It just makes such a difference even if it is not that hot. Keep well Diane

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  10. Michel18 February 2013 at 01:00

    I love coming across old churches or other old structures to explore as we drive around our part of Provence. Thanks for sharing one of your finds. Have a great week.

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    1. Diane18 February 2013 at 16:28

      Michel it amazes us how we just come across these places in what seems like the middle of nowhere, and there is very little written up about them. The French web sites are the best, but even there there is little info. Hope you have a good week also. Diane

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  11. Rosaria Williams18 February 2013 at 01:33

    It's amazing how many of these buildings have survived throughout Europe. And history comes alive after all these years.

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    1. Diane18 February 2013 at 16:30

      Rosaria you are right,a lot have had restoration but it is amazing what has survived the wars. Take care Diane

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  12. Jane and Lance Hattatt18 February 2013 at 10:43

    Hello Diane:
    This is a delightful church and, as you say, well worth taking time to have a closer look. And, how lovely that the church was open without anyone around. It is so sad these days that this often cannot happen as the place would be vandalised.

    We are always fascinated by the attributes of saints in order to determine which saint is being depicted. We assume that this one is Saint Therese de Lisieux with the rose entwined crucifix.She looks charming and how wonderful that fresh flowers decorate the niche in which her statue resides.

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    1. Diane18 February 2013 at 16:34

      Jane and Lance, I am so glad we spotted this church off the beaten track. We would have missed much of history to have driven straight by, which I would guess, most people would have done. If it was not for camera in hand, and on the outlook for photos we would probably have completely missed it! Hope you are both well, Diane

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  13. Deana Sidney18 February 2013 at 13:07

    Is it terribly wicked of me to say I would love to live in a place like that? The walls are so gorgeous. What a remarkable place. Thanks so much for sharing

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    1. Diane18 February 2013 at 16:37

      lostpastremembered there are many restored churches in the UK that have been turned into fantastic homes. I also love stone walls and we have them here at home. The only problem is they are amazing in summer as the house is always cool, but in winter it is very hard to get the walls to hold the heat in!! Keep well Diane

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  14. Pam18 February 2013 at 17:34

    So cool! I love the doorways & windows and floor. So much history in that church.

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    1. Diane18 February 2013 at 20:19

      Pam we are so lucky to have so much history around us. It is a case of seek and ye shall find :-) Keep well Diane

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  15. Noushka18 February 2013 at 18:11

    A beautiful church and so well photographed.... with your new camera?
    I can see the sun has not come through for you when you took these!
    It has for us for the last 2 days... at long last!
    Cheers Diane!

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    1. Diane18 February 2013 at 20:22

      Yes Noushka the new camera ;-) I am getting on OK with it in some respects but struggling in others. I still refer to the Samsung if the sky looks remotely like a sunset. I have not mastered the Nikon for that at all!! We have also had two days of sun, what a difference it makes even though it is still quite chilly. Keep well Diane xx

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  16. magda19 February 2013 at 20:50

    A beautiful old church and very nice photos!!!
    Thank you my dear friend Diane for an interesting tour!
    many greetings

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    1. Diane20 February 2013 at 11:23

      Magda it was a lovely church and one that surprised us with its history. Have a great day Diane

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  17. Anonymous20 February 2013 at 14:43

    Detouring on the back roads usually leads to a nice discovery...the church was lovely. Hope your weather turns sunny and dry soon.

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    1. Diane20 February 2013 at 16:02

      backroadjournal how right you are. When we drive from the UK to our home France we are always in a hurry and we are on the highways, we miss so much. It is time to plan a slow journey :-) We have had a couple of days of sun but it is going to turn very cold agasin tomorrow! Keep well Diane

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  18. Nadji20 February 2013 at 20:53

    Une bien jolie promenade.
    merci pour cette ballade.
    A bientôt

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    1. Diane21 February 2013 at 15:02

      C'est un plaisir, je suis heureux que vous appréciez. Bonne journée Diane

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  19. Marjie20 February 2013 at 22:27

    In some places, people scoff at buildings which are very outdated, having been built in the 1970s or even the 1960s! I love really old buildings, and marvel at the workmanship that lets them stand for so long!

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    1. Diane21 February 2013 at 15:03

      Marjie I am getting to enjoy the old buildings and their history more and more. Keep well Diane

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  20. Mary Bergfeld21 February 2013 at 07:14

    To be surrounded by so much history is a gift. I'm so glad you take the time to share it with us. Have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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    1. Diane21 February 2013 at 15:04

      Mary I love it and I enjoy sharing. It amazes me how I hated history when I was at school! Take care Diane

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  21. Kerry21 February 2013 at 14:28

    Beautiful church Diane. We did a circular walk from St Angeau last year and it was beautiful. I can't remember if it included Ventouse but it definitely look like a village to visit. Kerry x

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    1. Diane22 February 2013 at 23:17

      Kerry there are so many beautiful places around Charente but it is not always easy to track down the history! Keep warm Diane xx

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  22. tapirgal22 February 2013 at 02:46

    What fantastic architecture and details!

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    1. Diane22 February 2013 at 23:18

      Thanks so much for your visit and comment, I really do appreciate it. There is so many interesting places herewith so much history behind them. Have a great weekend Diane

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  23. LindyLouMac22 February 2013 at 12:50

    I always enjoy my virtual tours of the Charente region and appreciate you sharing your trips with us Diane.

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    1. Diane22 February 2013 at 23:19

      Thanks Linda, I hope that things are going a little better for you both. I think of you so often and worry about what you are going through at the moment. Take care Diane xx

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  24. SAPhotographs (Joan)23 February 2013 at 15:32

    What a lovely old church Diane. I am sure if those floors could talk they would have many tales to tell.

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    1. Diane24 February 2013 at 17:10

      Joan if only those walls and floors could talk it would save me hours of research :-) Diane

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  25. Chubskulit Rose23 February 2013 at 16:35

    You can tell by the look of the walls how the building survive the test of time. Beautiful captures. I love the refection shot!

    Have a great weekend Diane.

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    1. Diane24 February 2013 at 17:10

      Thanks Rose, I always like reflections. Take care Diane

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  26. Catherine24 February 2013 at 15:44

    Dear Diane, Thank you for visiting and for your good wishes. It means more than you know.
    I would love to visit a church such as this. The history and the age of this church is alluring. I would be fascinated. xoxo Catherine

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    1. Diane24 February 2013 at 20:33

      Catherine thanks so much for the visit, you have so much on your mind at the moment. The history on most of the churches around us is quite incredible but not always easy to track it down! Keep well and I hope you are soon back home and cooking once more. Have a good week Diane

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