Brantôme - Abbaye Saint-Pierre

The Benedictine Abbey of Brantôme was founded in 769 by Charlemagne, who
endowed relics of Saint Sicarius (Sicaire), one of the infants in the Massacre of the Innocents. The abbey got looted and destroyed by Norman invaders in 848 and 857.

The abbey was rebuilt end of the 10th century - and again end of the Hundred Years' War. The whole ensemble was restored by disputed Paul Abadie in the 19th century. The bridge connects the abbey with the "Jardin des Moins", the monks´ garden. The building behind the bridge is the former water mill of the abbey.

The village of Brantôme developed on an artificial island opposite the abbey. Already in the 9th century, the monks had created that island by digging a connecting trench into a meander of the river Dronne. It is a tourist spot today, where large barges transport the visitors around.