SallesThe charm of water and stone

Salles

On the banks of the Pamproux, the village of Salles, enclosed around its church, combines the charm of stone and water. There is an old habitat, some beautiful residences as well as farm buildings.

Getting there

Saint-Martin church

The Saint-Martin church, listed as a Historic Monument, was built at the turn of the Romanesque and the Gothic between the 12th and 13th centuries. The choir is remarkable with its barrel vault reinforced with cross ribs. From the outside, you can admire the apse pierced by three semi-circular bays with small columns with small capitals with plant decoration distinctive of the time of its construction.

In the course of the 19th century, part of the nave was transformed into a dwelling, a chapel was built to the south and the building was fitted with a bell tower-porch in the neo-Romanesque style, giving it an atypical character.

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Pont de Salles avec Ancienne filature derrière

Salles castle

Partly listed as a Historic Monument, this residence, built in the Gothic style at the end of the 15th century on the site of an old castle, was enlarged several times over the following centuries. First, it was the construction of a wing and the probable development of the park under Louis XIV; then the construction in 1736 of the 18th century pavilion and the development of the main building. During the Revolution, the castle was deteriorated. It was taken over in the 19th century with the installation, near the castle, of a spinning mill now in ruins. A restoration started in 1974-1975 was stopped by a fire in 1976. Gardens were created in 1985 in front of the castle. Private property closed to the public.

Along the water

Along the river, under the Ancien Régime, stood a mill which became one of the most important flour mills in the kingdom under the designation of “Manufacture royale des farines”. The production was partly shipped across the Atlantic. Following the French Revolution and a change of ownership, the site was converted into a cloth and weaving mill employing a hundred people until the end of the First World War. During the Second World War, the place was used as headquarters by the Germans. Today, crossing the medieval bridge, you can make out the mansion on the banks of the river and the remains of the old spinning mill.

A hiking route invites you to discover the surroundings of the village and to follow the banks of the Pamproux, wash house, fauna and flora.