Eglise Saint-Hilaire

The village of Saules occupies the site of a former feudal fief whose lords were allied to the powerful house of Brancion. The Romanesque church, whose bell tower dates from the 12th century, was rebuilt in the 18th century, probably following a fire. It is dedicated to Saint Hilaire, who was bishop of Poitiers in 347 and Father of the Church. He fought the heresy of a priest of Alexandria, Arius, who denied that the three persons of the Trinity are of the same substance, and thus denied the divinity of Christ. This doctrine, known as Arianism, was condemned in 325 by the Council of Nicaea. Our Creed is thus called the Nicene Creed. In 356, Hilary was exiled to Asia Minor by the Emperor Constantius. He composed the "De Trinitate"; he returned to Gaul in 360 and died in 367. The church is therefore entirely dedicated to the Trinity.
During the Revolution, Saules lost its parish title and was attached first to Saint-Boil, then, in 1802, to Culles. The church, dated 1744 above the south door, is a homogeneous building which has kept the pre-existing Romanesque bell tower.