Forges: Heritage and Market

When looking for a hotel in Forges, you can base your choice of destination on the local attractions: the Église Saint-Laurent represents ecclesiastical history and a Gothic choir, while the Pigeonnier represents the former keeping of pigeons. The Fontaine de Mandroux and the market offer different highlights—a spring described in unusual terms and a varied range of goods. This gives you a choice of cultural and everyday themes.

The Église Saint-Laurent: Romanesque architecture and a Gothic choir

The Église Saint-Laurent in Forges has been one of the dependencies of the Cluniac priory of Île d’Aix since the Romanesque period. It also has a 15th-century Gothic choir. Its historical affiliation places the church in its ecclesiastical context, while the choir is a specific architectural feature. For those interested in culture, these are two different ways of experiencing the same building.

The time references apply to different aspects: the Romanesque period marks the beginning of the affiliation mentioned, while the 15th-century date refers to the choir. If you are considering Forges for a hotel trip, you can factor Saint-Laurent into your choice of destination both for its historical context and its architecture. This lets you consider its affiliation with the priory and its Gothic choir as different aspects of the church.

The Pigeonnier and the Fontaine de Mandroux

The Pigeonnier stands in the courtyard of the preschool and primary school in Forges and was formerly used for keeping pigeons. Its location and use give the building a different role from the Église Saint-Laurent: it is a dovecote with a former function, not a church with an ecclesiastical affiliation. This adds another kind of historical use to the cultural themes. The Fontaine de Mandroux offers a different highlight. It is exceptionally wide and clear and is said to be bottomless. This makes the spring distinct from the two buildings.

Forges market: a varied range of goods

The Forges market offers, among other things, fruit and vegetables, goat’s cheese, fish, mussels and crustaceans. There is also honey, jams, organic beer, salt from Île de Ré, soups and terrines. The range therefore includes everything from fruit and vegetables to cheese, fish and seafood, as well as preserved and prepared foods. The market offers a culinary side of the town that differs from its cultural and historical themes. When considering the selection, you can take both individual products and the range of product categories into account.

Individual vendors and product availability may change. If you are going to the market for a particular item, check before your visit whether it is available. This will help you plan around what you are actually looking for there.

Discover more destinations: Avy, Champagnac, Louzignac, Cressé, Villars-En-Pons, Courcelles, Saujon, Dirée

For the broader travel overview: Charente-Maritime.