Fenioux - Notre-Dame de l’Assomption

Fenioux, a small village with a population of less than 200, has this wonderful parish church "Notre-Dame de l’Assomption". Once the church was dedicated to "Saint-Savinien" and "Saint Pierre". It was built in the 12th century, about the same time, when Aulnay (27kms northeast) was under construction.

The church was erected over a Carolingian oratory from the 9th century, of which some parts were integrated into the new building - and so still exist around the choir. The large, western facade, with its five archivolts is extraordenary.

Compared to the facade, the interior of the single nave church seems sober. The carvings found inside the church are simple. At least three different workshops have worked in Fenioux over more than 5 deacdes. This was carved probably before 1150.

Humanoid monsters with small, triangular ears were popular in the Saintonge in the first half of the 11th century.

Saint-Jean-d'Angély, where Louis the Pious´ son Pepin I of Aquitaine had founded the "Abbaye Royale" (817), is just about 10kms away. This was a really important abbey during the "Romanesque time", but I could not find any connections in the literature.