Saint-Gelais au Péril des Dragons

St-Gelais offers a wide view of the Sèvre Niortaise. On the side of a hill, the village, whose 1st lord is Hugues de Lusignan, nestles around its church, its temple and its castle. The sanctuary, built in 1109, dominates the valley as well as the Renaissance castle built by the Protestant Charles V of St-Gelais. The cup and the basket of the Holy Supper sculpted at the ridge of its south gable bear witness to the fact that the Calvinist cult was celebrated there until 1643. From 1681, the terrible atrocities of the Dragons of King Louis XIV decimated the ranks of the Protestants. A new temple was rebuilt in 1844. Don't also miss the Mélusine fountain, a contemporary nod to the legendary affiliation of St-Gelais to the most famous character of Poitou.

To see: St-Gelais church from the 12th-15th century, Renaissance castle, Protestant temple, dwellings, heritage path, wash houses, La Futaie meadow.