“ The tower (15th century) is 236 ft. high. The church of St Eutropius (founded at the close of the 6th century, rebuilt in the 11th, and had its nave destroyed in the Wars of Religion) stands above a very interesting well-lighted crypt—the largest in France after that of Chartres—adorned with richly sculptured capitals and containing the tomb of St Eutropius (4th or 5th century) . The fine stone spire dates from the 15th century. Notre-Dame, a splendid example of the architecture of the 11th and 12th centuries, with a noble clock tower, is no longer devoted to religious purposes. ”

“ A Roman building known as the Capitol was destroyed after the capture of the town from the English by Charles of Alençon, brother of Philip of Valois, in 1330, and its site is occupied by a hospital. Saintes was a bishop’s see till 1790; the cathedral of St Peter, built in the first half of the 12th century, was rebuilt in the 15th century, and again after it had been almost destroyed by the Huguenots in 1568. The interior has now an unattractive appearance. ”