Step 1 Fontenay le Compte - Damvix

Through the Marais de Poitvin to the abbey ABBAYE ROYALE XI and Abbaye St.Pierre. Bike ride on flat roads through the marsh of Poitevin mete are abbeys and beautiful villages. Possibility to take a boat trip on the Marais. The Abbey of Saint-Vincent de Nieul-sur-l'Autise was founded in 1068 by Ayraud Gadessenier, Lord of Vouvant. The abbey of Maillezais was built between the 11th and 15th centuries & destroyed during the wars of religion, leaving only a ruin. During the French Revolution, the walls still standing were sold to serve as a quarry. By classifying it as a monument in 1923, it was saved from total destruction, but it was not until 1966 that it was restored when it was purchased by the Supreme Council of the Vendée. Is today a real jewel of the architecture of the Romanesque Gothic and Renaissance period. The Damvix church built between 1849 and 1864 is completely restored inside and outside finished.with a ceiling entirely made of wooden slats that have been painted.