Saint-Fort-sur-Gironde - Saint-Fortunat

A harbour and a settlement existed here during Roman times already. A parish and a church Saint-Fortunat is mentioned in 1136, when Pope Innocent II confirmed a donation of the Abbey La Chaise-Dieu (Haute Loire).

The erection of the church, seen today, started within the 12th century, but the structure got severely damaged during the 100 Years´ War and got rebuilt in Gothic-, later altered in Renaissance-style.

The church is rather large for a small town with a population of less than 900.

The Romanesque facade dating back to the 12th century is undamaged and very complete, what is a surprise, as the village was a stronghold of the Protestants.
The three arches are typical for the "style saintonge". The archivolts that form the semicircle over the central entrance are somehow "uniform", a large geometric pattern. One of the archivolt consists out of 26 identic horse's heads.