Ansac-Sur-Vienne

Ansac-sur-Vienne offers several different starting points for planning your trip: listed religious buildings and a manor house, railway heritage, the Vienne, and routes for walking and cycling. You can get to know the town through its architectural history or through the river and its trails. These different themes offer a range of highlights, from historic buildings to outdoor activities.

Chapels, church and manor house

The Notre-Dame Chapel, including its painted furnishings, has been listed as a historic monument since 28 October 1996. The chapel also contains a tomb recess and recumbent effigies of the de Pontbriant family, both protected as historic monuments. The painted furnishings and specific funerary features are therefore part of this building’s history.

Another historic building is the Logis de la Villatte. It comprises a 15th-century wing and a 16th-century wing; the building also includes a spiral staircase and defensive towers. It was listed as a historic monument by decree dated 8 March 1991. The listing also covers the chapel with its coffered ceiling in the west wing. The manor house is privately owned.

The parish church of Saint-Benoît adds a longer sequence of changes to these different periods of construction: it dates back to the 11th century and was rebuilt from the late 12th century onward. Repairs took place in 1578 and again between 1878 and 1905. The church’s history therefore cannot be reduced to a single construction date, but encompasses several clearly dated phases.

Viaduct, Vienne and former mill

The Pontaran Viaduct, also known as Pontarand or Pontaraud, is a 100-metre-long railway viaduct with five arches. It crosses the Faye valley. The former railway line at the viaduct is now used by the Charente-Limousine tourist vélorail railway. Here, a railway heritage structure sits alongside the present-day tourist use of the former line.

The Vienne is the main river in Ansac-sur-Vienne and runs for four kilometres through the commune. The former Ansac mill is also connected to the river: it is now a ruin. What remains includes the foundations, the metal frame of the waterwheel in a silted-up channel, and the weir on the Vienne. The remains described therefore include parts of the mill, the waterwheel frame and the weir.

Trails and weekly market

The Sentier les Ajasses runs along the banks of the Vienne and can be explored on foot or by bicycle. It is open year-round and freely accessible. For the Sentier les Collegiens, the starting point and route are the main features: the trail begins in Ansac-sur-Vienne, forms a loop via Confolens, and is suitable for cycling. The Sentier les trois ruisseaux, by contrast, begins at the D317. It offers walking and hiking through the landscapes of Ansac-sur-Vienne and can also be used for cycling.

There is also a fixed market day to bear in mind when planning your day: the Ansac-sur-Vienne market takes place every Wednesday morning on Place de la Fontaine. If you would like to visit the market, you can take this into account when choosing your travel date.

Discover more destinations: Touvre, Sireuil, Échallat, Mainzac, Angeac-Champagne, Palluaud, Segonzac, Parzac.

For the regional travel overview: Charente.