Breuillet
for your holidays
Breuillet is situated In Arvert penisula between the river Seudre and the Gironde. It is a few kilometers far from the ocean. The name could come from a celtic word whose meaning is “ grove” or “little wood”. The village stands on an undulating plateau. In the south it turns towards the swamps and in the north towards the river Seudre. In the heart of the hinterland it is a “fallback” position for the holiday makers during the summer holidays. They can discover Saint-Vivien church (12th century) which represents the gold age of the roman style.
The inhabitants are called “Breuilletons” and Breuilletonnes”.
Activities and cultural heritage
Saint-Vivien church was damaged during the franco-English conflicts. It is the reason why the dimendions are modest. The chevet was destroyed but some relics can be found in the presbytery next to the church. The transept was also destroyed in the same period. The plan of the sanctuary shows a nave with four bays. The church was classified as a historic monument in 1914. The front is composed of three horizontal registers. A large portal is decorated with archaïc patterns and topped with a series of blind arcatures on two levels.
The protestant temple is neo-classic. It is the only evidence of a religious protestant architecture in the village. In spite of some objections, the temple was built from 1843 to1847. It looks like a ship based on a triangular plan and lit by a series of semi-circular bays. The front is framed by two ionic pilasters with an architrave and a triangular fronton. In the past the monument was surrounded by a wire netting but nowadays it opens on a little place next to the main street of the village.
Logis de Taupignac : before the present residence there was an ancient noble dwelling which is mentioned in the 12th century. The buildings are situated around a yard-forward and a main court-yard which are delimited by a main body covered with roman tiles and a series of outbuildings. It is the result of a restauration in 1838 at the owner ‘s instigation , an engineer whose name was Antoine Bonnet de Lescure.
Logis de Chalézac : the origins of this huge family mansion are not well known. In the archives we can read a restauration in 1768 at he owner’s instigation the “Chevalier des Landes family”. Then it became a farm and since 1980 there has been a walnut plantation which is said to be the most important in Europe.
The house is composed of two habitable floors.
In the farm yard there is a well which is topped by a funeral monument : an inscription pays homage to the late Louis Tessier and Marie Robelien and we can see a date : 1593. This monument is atypical. It has been noticed in the additional inventory of the historic monuments since 1927.