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The dairy capital of West-Central France, famous for its Charentes Poitou butter, Surgères holds a crossroads position in Charente-Maritime. The town is ideally located for exploring the main tourist sites: the Marais Poitevin to the north, the cities of La Rochelle and Rochefort to the west, and the Romanesque Saintonge to the south.
The historic center
Surgères stands out with its historic center dating back to the medieval era. The heart of the town, with its small pedestrian streets, gives it a village feel, and the lively market days contribute to the town’s dynamism.
Surgères Castle Walls
From the grand seigniorial castle dating from the 12th century, the fortifications remain, rebuilt in the 16th century by Hélène de Surgères’ brother. The walls surrounding the historic center formed a vast elliptical enclosure 600 meters long, once punctuated by twenty towers.
From that era, only the “Hélène Tower” remains, recently named in homage to Hélène de Fonséque, the daughter of the lord of the manor, born in 1546 at Surgères Castle. As a maid of honor at the court of Queen Catherine de’ Medici, she met Pierre de Ronsard there and became his muse.
The site of the former fortress is accessed via a drawbridge, from the northern gate of the enclosure. The moats were fed by the Gères, a sub-tributary of the Charentes, which gave its name to the town. The castle park offers a magnificent garden covered with century-old trees, providing an ideal spot for a picnic in the shade of the chestnut trees.
Notre-Dame Church
Surgères Church, located within the castle enclosure, is the finest example of Romanesque art in Aunis. It stands out with its octagonal bell tower, richly sculpted facade, apse, and crypt designed to house the tombs of the lords of Surgères.
Zodiac signs, benevolent animal figures, and malevolent monsters are part of the high-relief decoration of the facade, on the capitals, arcatures, and two cornices.
The Lord’s Residence
Opposite the church is the lord’s residence, which now houses the town hall. It is accessed through a magnificent Renaissance-style portal. Stripped of its former surrounding buildings, its appearance resembles a triumphal arch with a wide central bay framed by two pedestrian doors.
Surgères Butter
Surgères began dairy production in the 19th century, forced to abandon its vineyards, which were ravaged by phylloxera. The very first cooperative dairy in the Charentes opened in 1888 in a former distillery. It was quickly followed by others adopting the same model.
Visit the Ferme du Bois des Moines and discover how dairy products are made.
The fame of Surgères’ dairies is mainly due to its butter, whose protected designation of origin, “Beurre de Charentes Poitou,” is the pride of the people of Surgères. Its reputation extends far beyond the borders of Aunis. This creamy butter with a slight salty taste is best enjoyed on a nice slice of country bread, accompanied by Marennes-Oléron oysters.
