Saint-Jean-d'Angély

Abbaye de Saint-Jean d'Angély*/

History, future and imagination

Abbaye de Saint-Jean d'Angély*

Abbaye Royale de Saint-Jean-d'Angély

The royal abbey of Saint-Jean-d’Angély sits proudly at the heart of Charente-Maritime and is one of the region’s key historical and religious sites. The abbey’s ambition is to showcase its regional identity and support innovation.

THE HERITAGE SITE

The legend recounts that a monk named Félix brought back the skull of St John the Baptist from Alexandria by boat, guided by a dove as far as Angoulins, south of La Rochelle. Pépin d’Aquitaine witnessed the miracle which marked the arrival of the precious relic – on the battlefield, soldiers who had died the previous day came back to life. To preserve this relic, Pépin founded the abbey in 817, and it rapidly developed into an important spiritual and economic centre. Over time it became the richest abbey in the area and an influential daughter-house to Cluny. As a stage on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, Saint-Jean-d’Angély was an important location for art and international trade. The abbey’s prestigious past is evidenced by its 12th and 13th-century buildings which extend over an area of 6,000m2, only a third of which is accessible to the public.

THE CULTURAL PROJECT

The project’s aim is to showcase the original identity of the site and to enhance its capacity for innovation, based on the theme of ‘history, future and imagination’. It aims to make Saint-Jean-d’Angély a space for thought and experimentation around the concept of ‘creative rurality’. The issues tackled by the project include the cultural dynamic of the region, an innovative approach to heritage, the creative economy, community education and tourism development.

ACTIVITIES

The project responds to a key need – to showcase the history of the town and the Vals de Saintonge, allowing its inhabitants to take ownership and increase awareness by a wider public. This priority will guide all of the centre’s activities in the promotion of the material and intangible heritage of Saint-Jean-d’Angély (history, architecture, gastronomy and way of life, natural heritage), including a museographic project, a performance space, visit and tours, digital tools and heritage education.

A LOCAL AND REGIONAL PRESENCE

The project has been designed to involve the whole of the Vals de Saintonge, both to increase the attractiveness of the town centre, a veritable entrance gate and window on the region, and also to identify the key areas of community interest which come together at the cultural centre and anchor it in its region, such as the River Boutonne (protection, pathways, water-based activities), Romanesque art (study, inventory, digitisation) and gastronomy (training, knowledge-sharing, events).