Thesaurus

In Roman times, Saintes was known as Mediolanum Santonum, the capital and later province of Santons. It was also the first capital of the Augustan province of Aquitania. There are various Roman ruins here, including a Roman amphitheater.The medieval site has a castle at its highest point with a defensive wall built around it. Saintes was the site of defeat of Henry III by Louis IX in 1242. Saintes was one of the pilgrimage sites on route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Saintes is famous for producing brandy, tile, pottery, and iron goods.