Saint-Jean-d'Angély (; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Jhan-d'Anjhéli'') is a commune in the

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Chérente-Marine''; ) is a Departments of France, department in the French Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charente (river), Charen ...

department in southwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The commune has its historical origins in the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély.

Royal abbey

Founded in the ninth century to house a relic of Saint John the Baptist, and rebuilt in the 14th, 17th and 18th centuries because of repeated destruction, then later abandoned, the Abbey is now a listed building. It remains the most remarkable piece of architecture of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, a town which has kept all its medieval charm. Situated on the pilgrim route that led to Santiago de CompostelaThe route is registered by the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as part of the "World Heritage of Humanity" the edifice still constitutes a major stopping-off point towards

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

. Since 1989, the Royal Abbey has housed the Centre of European Culture, which has breathed new life into the Abbey by restoring it as a historical and cultural site and as a place for the exchange of ideas. From 1989 to 1997, the restoration of the monastic buildings has been carried out according to the needs of the Centre of European Culture, with an emphasis placed on accommodations, catering, as well as rooms for conferences, reunions and workshops. The Centre has been at the forefront of the revitalization of the building, to such a point that today the Centre and the Abbey have been linked in the minds of the residents.

Centre of European culture

The Centre of European Culture at Saint-Jean-d'Angély, created in 1989 as a joint initiative taken by the Minister of Culture, the town of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, the regional council of Poitou-Charentes and the council of

Charente Maritime Charente-Maritime (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Chérente-Marine''; ) is a department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a po ...

, has hosted multinational sessions focused on European culture and citizenship that are dedicated to youngsters sixteen to nineteen years, coming from all European countries.

Geography

The

Boutonne The Boutonne () is a long river in the Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime departments in western France. Its source is in the village of Chef-Boutonne (). It flows generally southwest. It is a right tributary of the Charente into which it flows n ...

flows northwest through the commune; the town lies on its right bank.

Twin towns – sister cities

* Koumondè, Togo * Mondsee, Austria *

New Iberia New Iberia (; ) is the largest city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, Louisiana, Lafayette, and forms part of ...

, United States * Saint-Sulpice, Canada

Population

References

External links

The Centre of European Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintjeandangely Communes of Charente-Maritime Subprefectures in France World Heritage Sites in France Charente-Maritime communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia County of Saintonge