Saintes, roman city

Saintes is a city of the south-west of France, located in the department of the Charente-Maritime and the Poitou-Charentes area. It counts 26.401 inhabitants, in the middle d' an urban surface estimated at 55.834 inhabitants.

Capital of the province of Saintonge under the Ancien Régime, it is indicated like prefecture of the department of Charente-Inférieure  at the time of the territorial reorganization of 1790, before being finally supplanted by La Rochelle in 1810. Become the one of the five ( today four) sub-prefectures of the department, it sees growing its economic influence at the beginning of the XX century when the city is selected like sits of VIIIe district of the railroads of the State.

Equipped by an important Gallo-Roman, medieval and traditional unit patrimonial, Saintes are affiliated with the domestic network of the cities and countries of the art and the history since 1990. Important economic and tourist pole of the department of the Charente-Maritime, the city is also re-elected for its cultural life, materialized by the presence of several museums and d' a European practice and musical research center established in the middle of the abbey.

The amphitheater is the ancient vestige most important of the city. Its construction starts under the reign of Tibère and complete under the reign of Claude, towards 40 after JC. It was set up early in Mediolanum being given the big role of this city in the romanisation of the province. It is characterized by a cavea (together of steps) pressed on the sides of the small valley and a fill in the west, the structures are entirely built, in the East, around the Sanavivaria Door - the door of the alive ones.

It was conceived to accomodate bloody spectacles very snuffed by the population of the city, approximately 15.000 people.

Museum of the Graeco-Roman civilization including the remarkable concise series: public and funerary architecture, inscriptions, sculptures…
Exposure of the objects of the daily life: crockery, ornament, clothing, plays, rites…

Dated from the second half of the 1st century, the thermal baths would have been built in a second phase of the extension of urban fabric of the ancient city. The released vestiges make it possible to partly recognize the sector of the hot bath (caldarium), bordered by a retaining wall presenting of the niches which are interpreted aujourd' today like a monumental fountain.

At the XIXe century the barges conveyed cognac barrels and heavy blocks of white stone since areas of the production until Ocean.

On board this boat of flat-bottomed river, rebuilt out of wood according to the time plans, go up time and discover in the course of the water of the history and the activity around Charente.

• Walk of the relaxation between stone and water

Navigation along the quays bordered of splendid residences jusqu' with the manor of the Courbiac locality.

• Walk Douce nature

For a discovery of fauna and flora of the meadows until the locality St-Sorlin.