Thouars - Saint-Médard

Thouars was an Aquitanien fortress, placed in a loop of the river Thouet. It was conquered and burnt down in 762 down by Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, who was accompanied by his 14 years old son, the future Charlemagne.

In medieval times, the town prospered, and in the 12th century a large basilica-style church named "Saint-Médard-des-Champs" was erected just outside the city walls. Today this church is in the center of the town, that once was a stronghold of the Huguenots. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) Thouars lost about half of its population, as most of the Huguenots migrated.

The facade of Saint-Médard is created in the late Romanesque "style poitevin", the rose-window was added within the 15th century, when the bell tower was erected. The facade got "heavily" renovated during the 1870s. Most of the archivolts are a result of that work. Above the entrance door are large statues of Christ, flanked by angels. To the sides apostles and prophets. The design seems like a prototype of the The "gallery of the kings", often seen on Gothic cathedrals (eg Reims Cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris )