Saint-Porchaire is a town in Charente-Maritime, in the New Aquitaine region, 16 km north-west of Saintes.
Its territory of 17 km² extends over a partly wooded limestone plateau, bounded to the north by marshes, and whose subsoil is dotted with springs and cavities. To the south, the landscape is essentially agricultural.
Saint-Porchaire belonged under the Ancien Régime to the province of Saintonge, tossed over the centuries between the Duchy of Aquitaine and the County of Anjou.
The village developed on the banks of the Bruant, a tributary of the Charente, the seat of a small seigneury which built a first fortified castle in the 11th century. Very tried by the Hundred Years War, it was not until 1475 that the locality was reintegrated into the kingdom of France.
It was then that, already redesigned, the castle was rebuilt on a rocky outcrop before being transformed into a large pleasure residence in the 17th century with magnificent French gardens (it then became the castle of La Roche- Courbon). This noble domain has become the major asset of the municipality, which also has a varied leisure offer. A stopover is essential in the city of nearly 1,900 inhabitants, near Saintes, Rochefort and half an hour from the beaches of the Atlantic.
Before visiting the castle, jewel of the town, several heritage elements deserve to be observed. A route can begin with the church whose western facade is Romanesque (12th century) but which was generally taken up in the 15th century in a flamboyant Gothic style. The exterior decorations attest to this. Inside, in addition to an altar with a canopy altarpiece from the 19th century, there are traces of neo-Gothic painted decorations and the burials of the lords of La Roche-Courbon in the choir.
The vacation home of the writer Pierre Loti who appreciated the castle (which he liked to say resembled that of Sleeping Beauty) and launched an appeal to finance its restoration in 1908, the public garden where a bust of Pierre Loti has been installed, the Napoleon Bridge (built in 1800) from which you reach a green theater, the Epine fountain, and a few small wooden bridges are also worth a look.
We should also mention the neoclassical style town hall (1843), and the hamlet of Jaudons, towards Rochefort, which has retained the appearance of a typical Saintonge village around its manor…
Note that A leaflet with map proposing a heritage tour (outside the castle) is available: call +33 5 46 95 60 21.
Then direction, therefore, the castle of La Roche-Courbon. The current building was redesigned in the 17th century. Between cliffs and along the river, the old castle, classic quadrilateral, still stands out. One of the four towers has become a dovecote, the entrance gatehouse and its two towers have been preserved, and the Renaissance main building whose staircase tower was once out of work has been equipped since the 18th century with an internal staircase. Louis XVI style wrought iron railing. Since the 17th century, when the site was really reworked, an arcaded gallery has supported a long balcony running on the facade, a porch and a double spiral staircase leading down to the pleasure garden. A Renaissance portal with three bays also allows you to enter the domain. Inside the castle, the regional furniture, the decorations, the cabinet of paintings on wood from 1662, the Louis XIII room and its painted beams or the old guard room are very rich to discover.
Note that a prehistoric museum is housed in the keep which overlooks the old moat. It highlights the remains and elements of geology linked to the caves in the town.
The estate also includes gardens redesigned in the 1920s and consolidated in 1977 by the installation of stilts (the site was once swampy). The park has the Remarkable Garden label. The Bouil Bleu cave, the 18th century theater, the chapel, the old mill complete this particularly rich set, not to mention the wooded plots.
The castle is open to the public all year round except December 25 and January 1, Sunday mornings in winter, and weekdays in January. On the program all year round: free or guided tours, games and activities for children (in particular "escape game" type), thematic trail on Prehistory... Prices: 6 to 8.50 euros for the gardens (with entry to the museum of Prehistory), 6 to 12.50 euros with the guided tour of the interiors. Information on +33 5 46 95 60 10.
It should also be noted that the town, together with the Paul Chénereau cultural center, has a performance hall with a varied program and a library which offers frequent entertainment. Information on +33 5 46 94 49 40.
For athletes, it is possible to book a court at the tennis club: contact on +33 5 46 95 09 04.
On the 6 hectare estate of the Château de la Vallade (15th and 16th centuries), in the direction of Saintes, a golf course was created in 2004. There is a 9-hole course (2012 m long for a "par 33") and a Pitch & Putt course (short distances).) of 18 holes. Open every day (except Tuesday out of summer season). Information on +33 5 46 94 23 54.
As for hiking enthusiasts, three circuits have been drawn and marked out in the town, 7.8 and 13 km long (the latter includes the wet banks of the Bruant). It is also possible from the town to join the GR4 route linking Royan to Grasse via Saintes (about ten kilometers to the south). Maps and information on +33 5 46 74 23 82 and +33 5 46 95 60 21.
