Le Douhet - Saint-Martial

San Martial, parish church of Le Douhet is a 12th century structure, that had to be stabilized by buttresses within the 15th century, when a steeple was built and the building got unbalanced and unstable.

The portal, erected in the typical Saintonge-style, is richly decorated. Here a detail from the frieze. For a while, I saw Samson´s haircut (depicted in Aulnay), but this person is just too small. Maybe brawling pilgrims....
The stones all over the Saintonge were very soft and so ideal for complex carvings. Unfortunately, they weathered over the centuries.