Ancient medieval city, Pons takes place in New Aquitaine, in the department of Charente-Maritime. Ville stage on the road to Santiago de Compostela, it is located halfway between Saintes and Jonzac, about twenty kilometers from Cognac and 25 minutes from the estuary of the Gironde which is full of treasures, landscapes, Small harbors, cliffs and lines of plaice, these famous little wooden fishing huts.
Taking advantage of a very old history, the Charentaise commune has origins dating back to Protohistory. Settled on a rocky promontory, it developed from the Gallo-Roman era with an economy turned towards crafts and commerce. But it was in the XIIth century that Pons found its strength with the construction of an important fortress (construction of the donjon and the medieval castle today disappeared). A prominent Protestant square in the 16th century, the city has become, over time, a center of tourism and culture. It is necessary to visit the hospice of the pilgrims classified to the UNESCO and its small medicinal garden.
Visitors visiting the region will be able to appreciate its important architectural heritage and its idyllic natural setting on the banks of the Seatur Natura 2000. Its proximity to some of the most beautiful towns in the region Also make it an ideal stay for holidays with family or friends. You can discover the various branches of the Seugne by canoe, from Jonzac to Pons or from Pons to the delta de la Charente to Saintes.
Top of thirty meters, the medieval keep of Pons is one of the main tourist sites of the city. Considered the most imposing of the region, it offers an unobstructed view of the city, as well as the Seugne valley. Shaved at the end of the 12th century by Richard the Lionheart, the new castle was raised a few years later before being destroyed again in the XVIIth century by Louis XIII. In several apartments, you can admire wooden ceilings and canvas, adorned with allegorical figures.
The castle's old court is now occupied by the present town hall, as well as by the public garden of Pons. Planted on the terrace, the latter takes place on the ancient ramparts and offers a beautiful view on the surroundings. It is reached via an old 17th century staircase or by the 17th century César Phébus d'Albret staircase, which allows visitors to admire the ancient medieval walls of the 12th century. At the end of the garden, do not miss the chapel of Saint-Gilles, which once belonged to the castle, or the reconstructed facade of a Renaissance house. The first, a former Romanesque building, today houses the Archeology Museum of the city. In particular, there are collections of objects discovered during excavations in the surroundings and dating, among other things, from the Roman period.
The only example still visible in Europe, the Hôpital des Pèlerins was built in the 12th century. Classified as a Historic Monument and listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as part of the Jacquaire Roads, it allows visitors to discover the graffiti of ancient pilgrims from the Middle Ages. In the Salle des Pèlerins, it is possible to admire a framework of posts of the XIIIth century very rare. During the restoration of the building, several contemporary stained-glass windows were added, while a medicinal garden was created in 2003.
Pons hosts other exceptional religious buildings, like the church Saint-Vivien of Romanesque style saintongeais. Built in the 12th century, it has a beautiful three-storey façade covered with statues and a bell from a former Napoleonic ship. The facade has been classified as a Historic Monument. Do not miss the church of St. Martin rebuilt between the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Enlarged in the nineteenth century, it was equipped at that time with a neoclassical bell-tower.
Originally built in Usson in the 16th century, Usson Castle was transported stone by stone to Pons in the 19th century. Private property, this Italian Renaissance castle, classified as a Historical Monument, today houses an exceptional escape room open to both young and old alike.
As you walk through Pons, be sure to admire the neo-Gothic church of the Sacred Heart, the Sainte-Marie-du-Fa chapel, which is part of the supplementary inventory of Historic Monuments, A modern building, or the monument to Emile Combes, a former minister deceased in Pons.
To enjoy the sun and walk, head towards the forest of Pons with its site of relaxation and leisure, or the valley of the Soute prized for the practice of climbing.
