Saintonge (region)

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Saintonge
Modern map showing the extent of the historical Saintonge province
Coordinates: 45°45′00″N 0°38′00″W / 45.75°N 0.633333°W / 45.75; -0.633333
Boroughs	Deux-Sèvres Charente-Maritime Charente
Time zone	CET

Saintonge (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃tɔ̃ʒ]), historically spelled Xaintonge and Xainctonge, is a region of France located on the west central Atlantic coast, corresponding with the former province of the same name. The largest city is Saintes (Xaintes, Xainctes). Other principal towns include Saint-Jean-d'Angély, Jonzac, Frontenay-Rohan-Rohan, Royan, Marennes, Pons, and Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire.

In 1790, during the French Revolution, Saintonge became part of Charente-Inférieure, one of the 83 departments organized by the new government. This was renamed as Charente-Maritime in 1941, during World War II. The region is known for its Romanesque churches. ^[1]