page_title: Saintes, Charente-Maritime
section_title: Landmarks
hierarchical_section_title: Saintes, Charente-Maritime / Landmarks
caption_attribution_description: Musée archéologique de Saintes
context_page_description: Saintes is a commune and historic town in western France, in the Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais. Saintes is the second-largest city in Charente-Maritime, with 26,470 inhabitants in 2008. The city's immediate surroundings form the second-most populous metropolitan area in the department, with 56,598 inhabitants. While a majority of the surrounding landscape consists of fertile, productive fields, a significant minority of the region remains forested; its natural state.
  In Roman times, Saintes was known as Mediolanum Santonum, and during much of its history, the name of the city was spelled Xaintes and Xainctes.
  Primarily built on the left bank of the Charente, Saintes became the first Roman capital of Aquitaine, and later, the capital of the province of Saintonge under the Ancien Régime. Following the French Revolution it briefly became the prefecture of the department during the territorial reorganization of 1790, until La Rochelle took its place in 1810. Even though it was but a subprefecture, Saintes was allowed to remain the judicial center of the department.
context_section_description: The Arch of Germanicus, a triumphal arch, was built at the entrance to a bridge, where the main Roman road crossed the Charente River. The bridge was demolished in 1843 but the Arch was saved by Prosper Mérimée and rebuilt at its present location on the bank of the river.
  Ruins of the Roman amphitheatre on the main, left bank of the Charente, near the summit of the hill upon which the town was built. Its notable tiers (cavea) are built against the hill and an embankment.
  Some remnants of the thermae of Saint-Saloine (1st century) are also visible, in particular an aqueduct.
  Fragments of the 3rd century rampart (to the city walls) can be seen in the Place des Récollets. It was built with stones taken from the Roman buildings.
  Ecclesiastical
  The Abbaye-aux-Dames. Madame de Montespan was educated here.
  Other churches: the Basilique Saint-Eutrope (Basilica of Saint Eutropius) and the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, Saintes Cathedral:  Basilique Saint-Eutrope: ,
  Museums
  the Musée archéologique, which has a restored Roman cart/wagon of the 1st century amongst a collection of sculptures and inscriptions.
  the Musée du Présidial, which has a mannerist architecture and a collection of regional ceramics and paintings of the 15th to 18th century.
  the Musée de l'Échevinage, which exhibits porcelain of Sèvres and paintings of the 19th and 20th century
caption: Museum
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