William 9th, Duke of Aquitaine is reputed to have brought back a waistband of the Virgin Mary from the Crusades and deposited it in the church.

His granddaughter Eleanor of Aquitaine founded a collegial church to honour the relic which, according to legend, facilitated pregnancies and male offspring.

The town became a stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (17th century houses used by the pilgrims still exist).

Its location between the territories of the Counts of Anjou and Aquitaine lent it strategic importance and traces of an encircling town wall remain.

Local agricultural production is mixed with vineyards (15 km2), orchards and market gardening taking place alongside pasture and woodlands.