Discover Sablonceaux through three distinct historical perspectives: Notre-Dame Abbey, the Pierre Levée de Berthegille Dolmen and the former bread oven, Le vieux four. There is also the PR No. 16 hiking trail, which starts at the abbey. These themes bring together medieval history, prehistoric traces and a route between woods and fields. The town offers a range of ways to plan your stay: architecture and restoration, a Stone Age monument, or a hike with a historical connection.
Notre-Dame Abbey: its founding and surviving buildings
Notre-Dame de Sablonceaux Abbey is an Augustinian abbey. Guillaume X, Duke of Aquitaine, founded it in 1136. Medieval buildings survive from the former abbey: the church, the chapter house and the tithe barn. These three named buildings provide specific points of reference for the abbey’s history, rather than focusing attention on a single building.
Since 1962, the abbey has been undergoing painstaking restoration thanks to the work of André Malraux. Alongside its founding, this brings a much later phase of restoration and the care of the surviving buildings into focus. Visitors interested in history can distinguish the periods clearly: the abbey was founded in 1136, and restoration began in 1962.
The Pierre Levée de Berthegille Dolmen
The dolmen takes us to a much earlier period: it dates from the Neolithic and has been listed as a historic monument since 1937. This allows different historical points of reference to be considered side by side in Sablonceaux: the dolmen’s prehistoric origins and the abbey’s founding in 1136. The 1937 listing adds a more recent heritage classification to the monument’s great age.
Its appearance is also described in specific terms: the capstone has fallen over and lies partly on the ground; two other stone slabs are still visible. These visible structural details complement the information about its age and protected status. The abbey and the dolmen thus represent different ways of exploring the town’s past.
Le vieux four and local history
Another point of interest is Le vieux four, a former bread oven. Volunteers and municipal staff helped restore it. The oven can be seen at the edge of town on the road from Sablonceaux to Saint-André or Nancras. Its former use as a bread oven sets it apart from the abbey’s history and the dolmen: here, the focus is on a testament to earlier baking, restored with the help of volunteers and municipal staff. Its stated location along the road also provides a specific landmark for finding it.
Hiking the PR No. 16
The PR No. 16 adds a hike to the cultural attractions. According to the route description, the trail starts at Sablonceaux Abbey and runs between woods and fields. The description gives a distance of 8.0 km and a duration of about 1 hour and 33 minutes; it rates the route as suitable for beginners. The distance and approximate duration offer different points of reference for planning: the kilometre figure describes the route, while the time estimate indicates how long it is expected to take.
The trail’s history is also part of its description: it follows the route once used by priests from the abbey to Saint-Romain-de-Benet. The hike is therefore connected to the abbey not only by its starting point, but also by this historical route. When choosing between culture and physical activity, the distinction is clear: the abbey and dolmen are specific historical sites, while the PR No. 16 focuses on the landscape between woods and fields and a route used in the past.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Aigulin, Saint-Jean-De-Liversay, Prignac, Matha, Bourcefranc-Le-Chapus, Tesson, Saint-Maigrin, Saint-Clément-Des-Baleines.
For the broader travel overview: Charente-Maritime.
