Châteaubernard combines Templar history and prehistoric heritage with choral music, a spring festival and an aquatic centre open year-round. When choosing when to travel, it is particularly useful to distinguish between the festival held every spring and the X’eau aquatic centre. The Chapelle des Templiers and the restored dolmen also offer two very different historical perspectives.
Templar history at the Chapelle des Templiers
The Chapelle des Templiers is the only surviving remnant of the Templar commandery of Châteaubernard. Its stylistic and architectural features suggest that it was built around 1150 to 1160. A liturgical inscription dated 1531 can also be seen inside the chapel. The construction period and the inscription thus provide two different historical reference points: one is inferred from architectural features, while the other is dated to a specific year.
The chapel’s surroundings are also part of the picture: today, they are laid out as a park with tall chestnut trees. Alongside the history of the building and its inscription, visitors can therefore also experience a landscaped park. The information about the estimated construction period and the inscription can be considered separately, rather than being combined into a single date.
A restored dolmen with an early date
The Dolmen de la Combe des Dames dates back to a much earlier period. It is dated to around 2400 BC; this date is also deliberately approximate. The capstone and one orthostat have survived. In 1976, both were re-erected together with new orthostats. An orthostat is an upright standing stone. Distinguishing between the surviving elements and the new orthostats makes the restoration easier to understand and helps explain the monument’s present-day structure.
The chapel and the dolmen thus prompt different questions about local heritage: the chapel is associated with an estimated medieval construction period and a liturgical inscription from 1531; the dolmen with a much earlier, approximate date and its re-erection in 1976. If you are interested in historic structures, this comparison offers a concrete way to explore different eras and how preserved monuments have been passed down.
Spring festival and choral music
The Fête du Pain et de la caillebotte is a seasonal event: it has been held every spring for around 30 years. Several hundred caillebottes are prepared for the occasion. Visitors can enjoy them on site or take them away. If you would like to time your trip to coincide with the festival, factor the specific event date into your plans.
Castel’Odies offers a different cultural highlight. The event brings together local amateur choirs led by professional choir directors. Audiences can enjoy a varied repertoire of sacred and secular choral music, spanning the Renaissance to the 21st century. The combination of several musical eras and both types of repertoire offers a clear point of reference for anyone who values choral music as part of their stay.
The X’eau aquatic centre all year round
The X’eau aquatic centre at the Pôle des Vauzelles in Châteaubernard is open year-round. It has three pools: a sports pool, a learning and leisure pool, and a paddling pool. The sports and leisure facilities also include a 50-metre slide. The different types of pools and the slide give the aquatic facilities a range of attractions, rather than focusing on just one pool.
The aquatic centre differs from the Fête du Pain et de la caillebotte when it comes to timing: the aquatic facilities are available year-round, while the festival takes place every spring. This means you can plan around the seasonal event or arrange your stay independently of it. Alongside the Templar chapel, the restored dolmen and Castel’Odies, the centre reveals another side of Châteaubernard—with year-round leisure facilities as well as heritage and music.
Discover more destinations
Marcillac-Lanville, Saint-Saturnin, Parzac, Chenommet, Saint-Yrieix-Sur-Charente, Soyaux, Saint-Angeau, Champmillon
For the main travel overview: Charente.
