Parthenay - Notre-Dame-de-la-Couldre

Parthenay is a very well fortified town, sited on a rocky spur, surrounded by the River Thouet. It has a (now ruined) castle inside and is known since the 11th century. Many pilgrims, following a branch of the Via Turonensis passed through here. The main gate of Parthenay, where the pilgrims once entered the town, still bears the name of Saint Jaques.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Couldre, built in the 12th century, was the parish church of Partenay, while Sainte-Croix (previous uploads) was a Collegiate church. In 1623 the church was taken over by Ursulines, who had a convent here.
After the French Revolution the church was sold as "National Property". The new owner, a former priest, planned to establish a spinning mill, but failed - and ruined the buildings. In 1847 the Ursulines opened a private school and integrated the ruins into the surrounding buildings.

The school is still existing, here is the website:

www.ndlacouldre.com/
Only the lower section of the Romanesque facade and the apse survived the times. The facade (previous upload) now seen from the right side, is very damaged. I learned, that the northern blind arch (right) had a equestrian statue, while the southern (left) depicted Samson and the lion. The specific style with the three arches, typical for the area of the Saintonge and Poitou is still visible.

Most of the artworks, that could be moved out from here, are now in museums in Paris, Bostson, New York, Cambridge ...

Early morning is not a good time to take photos of western portals...