Gensac-la-Pallue - Saint-Martin

Gensac-la-Pallue is a small town, about 10kms southeast of Cognac, with a population of 1500. Saint Martin is the large parish church of the town. It is not known, who financed this church, when it was erected within the 12th century (the choir and tower were added a century later) and there are no obvious connections to one of the important abbeys of the area, but for a parish church, built on swampy grounds, this is a pretty prestigious structure.

Saint-Martin has a western facade, that is extraordenary, as not many churches in the Poitou have three horizontal registers/levels.

There is a long frieze-like band extending all over the facade. This frieze is pretty weathered in parts after 800 years, but other more sheltered stretches seem untouched by the centuries. This person (what a moustache!), a "Master of Beasts", can often be found in and around Romanesque churches. I have no idea, what this icon stands for. It seems, like he is strangling the birds, but they may tell him secrets.