Aulnay-de-Saintonge (17): vandals attack the thousand-year-old church, a jewel of heritage which had just emerged from 15 years of restoration

According to Sud Ouest , the Saint-Pierre church in Aulnay-de-Saintonge, a 13th-century Romanesque jewel, was vandalized on the evening of Friday, August 1, 2025. The criminals damaged a pulpit and attempted to force open the sacristy door without success. "This was a gratuitous, heartbreaking, and scandalous act," laments Mayor Stéphane Chedouteaud. The building was temporarily closed while the lock was replaced and reopened the next day. A complaint will be filed, and an investigation is underway. The church completed its restoration on July 5.