Vouvant, a history

In 1000 AD, Vouvant was only a wooded hill surrounded by water in the middle of a sprawling forest. While he was hunting, William V (known as William The Great, Duke of Aquitaine), came across the area that would become Vouvant, and decided to have a church and a monastery built there. He charged the monks of Maillezais with this task, following their completion of the famous Maillezais abbey also on his instructions. The monks however were unable to raise sufficient funds to see William's project through to its conclusion, and thus chose instead to build a temporary chapel. The church was not finished until the end of the 11th century, and was subsequently rebuilt in the 12th century's prevailing «Norman» architectural style. Thus, the crypt, the three apses and the greatly admired North portal (double arched) date from the 12th century.

The legend of the fairy Melusine is central to Vouvant. Melusine was half woman, half serpent, and was said to have built Vouvant's castle and the tower now bearing her name, according to legend completing these in one night with "an apron-full of Stones and a mouthful of water". Only the keep, the Melusine tower and the ramparts exist to this day. Later citizens of Vouvant decided that the castle was both uninhabitable and, with its dark fortresses, outmoded, and sadly, it fell to ruin. In the 19th century what remained was razed to the ground in order to create a site for a fairground.

Much later, Vouvant had to suffer the horrors of the Wars of Religion. The church was pillaged, set on fire and half destroyed by the Huguenots. At the Postern Gate a battle between the besieged and the attackers left more than 200 Huguenots dead.

Despite its diverse past of construction and destruction, Vouvant retains a striking historic character. (For more details of the history of Vouvant, consult "Vouvant, Histoire et Légende" by J.M. Gandriau, which also contains an English translation).