Map of Saint-Savinien on the Charente River in 1713

This 1713 map, attributed to the king's engineer Claude Masse, depicts the village of Saint-Savinien along the Charente river in the province of Saintonge, an important fluvial corridor between the Atlantic and the French interior. The drawing, in ink and watercolor, combines topographical relief with military purposes: the sinuous course of the river, the docks, port areas, fortifications, and roads leading to Rochefort, the royal navy's arsenal city, are highlighted. The grid of fields delimited by rows and hedges documents a densely cultivated countryside, while the legend at the bottom indicates the parish, convents, cemeteries, and notable houses, signaling the administrative and religious role of the center at the beginning of the 18th century.

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