Châteauneuf-sur-Charente (; literally 'Châteauneuf on Charente') is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Charente department in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

.Commune de Châteauneuf-sur-Charente (16090)
INSEE It is the seat of the canton of Charente-Champagne, and part of the

Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Cognac Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Cognac is the '' communauté d'agglomération'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the town of Cognac. It is located in the Charente department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, southwestern France. Cr ...

. With

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appella ...

and

Jarnac Jarnac (; ; Saintongese: ''Jharnat'') is a commune in the Charente department, southwestern France.Mousterian The Mousterian (or Mode III) is an archaeological industry of stone tools, associated primarily with the Neanderthals in Europe, and to the earliest anatomically modern humans in North Africa and West Asia. The Mousterian largely defines the l ...

site. Thanks to aerial archaeology, vestiges of enclosures or protohistorical ditches have also been found in the commune. The Roman road between Saintes and

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is al ...

passes on the hillsides at the southern limit of the commune, its right-of-way being always used and named the Boisné road. Some Roman remains have been found mainly on the right bank, near Saint-Surin. A late antiquity warrior cemetery (probably frank or Merovingian) has been found. Later a castle was probably built during the time of Clovis and it was burned down around 1081.

Church

The parish church of St. Peter is remarkable for its statuary and in particular the rider of the frontispiece, which represents the 1st Christian Roman emperor,

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...

, crushing paganism. This statue symbolizes the victory of Christianity over paganism, materialized by the construction of the church, since it was built on an ancient pagan place of worship. It is also remarkable for its 24-metre high facade divided into three vertical and three horizontal parts. It is thus considered to be one of the most beautiful church facades in Charente. From 1846 to 1860, architect Paul Abadie undertook the restoration of the church. The remarkable hinges, fittings, door knockers and the ironwork of the two glass doors giving access to the church were made in 1851 by the ironworker Pierre Boulanger. The church is partly Romanesque (12th century), partly Gothic with a Gothic bell tower (15th century). The church hides a funny detail, a snail carved in high relief at the end of the nave, on the altar side. The

garden snail ''Cornu aspersum'' (syn. ''Cryptomphalus aspersus''), known by the common name garden snail, is a species of land snail in the family Helicidae, which includes some of the most familiar land snails. Of all terrestrial molluscs, this species may w ...

is a symbol of Charentais people, supposed to represent both their mindset, discreet, peaceful, unlikely to get excited, a little homestead, and their attachment to this animal, from a culinary point of view. Inhabitants like to show this "cagouille" - as they say - to their guests. Its research occupies the children during the visit of the monument.

Church

Population

See also