Promoting the Abbey of Saint-Savin and the Valley of Frescoes

In 2006, the Poitou-Charentes region, the Vienne department, the city of Montmorillon and towns of its area, the town of Saint-Savin and the State all agree to create an EPPC (Public Establishement for Cultural Cooperation) in charge of managing and promoting the Abbey of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe and the Valley of Frescoes' sites.

This EPCC, entitle "Abbaye de Saint-Savin sur Gartempe et Vallée des fresques" in French, was created by prefectoral decree on June 16th, 2006, taking effect on July 1st, 2006 at its head office in Saint-Savin.

Missions

The EPCC's purposes are:

• managing and promoting the Abbey of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe at a cultural and economic level,

• promoting the buildings of the Valley of Frescoes, in relation with associative partners and local authorities, more precisely the following buildings:

• Church of Saint-Germain (2 19th-century grisaille paintings)

• Funeral Chapel Sainte-Catherine in Jouhet (15th-century paintings)

• Church Notre-Dame in Antigny (paintings from the end of the 15th century)

• Church Notre-Dame (painted decorations from the end of the 12th century in the crypt Sainte Catherine) and Chapel Saint-Laurent in Montmorillon (inner decoration from the Second Empire)

• Octagon in Montmorillon (decoration remains from the Gothic period)

• Church Saint-Divitien in Saulgé (decoration paintings from the 19th century)

To do so, the establishment must:

• implement cultural and education actions for young people, in relation with institutional partners;

• developing or supporting cultural activities and events;

• and, more generally, giving meaning to pictorial and architectural representation, particularly from the Romanesque period.