Saint-Philippe-d’Aiguilhe

Presentation of the municipality

Saint Philippe d'Aiguilhe is a small town of 373 inhabitants located to the east of Libourne, in the Canton of Coteaux de Dordogne. Its inhabitants are called the Saints-Philippois or Saints-Philippoises.

Covering a area of ​​587 hectares, it is mainly surrounded by the vineyards of the Côtes de Castillon and Puisseguin.

Located 13 km from Saint-Emilion, the town is crossed by the county road RD 123 between Castillon-la-Bataille and Saint-Seurin-sur-l'Isle. in the centre of the town, there is the romanesque Saint-Philippe’s church and a multi-service business (grocery, restaurant, bakery), Town Hall, a Post Office, a school, a multipurpose hall, a stadium and finally a tennis court.

A bit of history…

Its name comes from the eponymous saint and the name of the ancient manor of Aighuile, on which the village extends.

The village is situated on a promontory of the right bank of the Dordogne river. Human occupation can be traced back to the Antiquity. Indeed, a fortified Gaulish village had settled there during this period. 

In the Middle Ages, it is on the old foundations of this small village that the Aiguilhe fortress was erected. Destroyed, then rebuilt the Aiguilhe castle housed a Commandery of Templar  Knights in the 13th century.

As for the lordship of Aiguilhe itself, it dates back to the 12th century; at that time it was part of the lordship of Puynormand, located a little further northwest.

Today, this small town is particularly "characterized by a certain architectural harmony."

A natural heritage rich in water ...

Located 108 meters above sea level, the municipality has no natural reserve. However, four rivers cross the territory of the parish: the Aiguilhe Creek, the Pinpin Creek, the Tuillac Creek and finally the Gueyraude Creek.

Vineyards…

The plateau of Saint-Philippe d'Aiguilhe is surrounded by vineyards of the Côtes of Castillon and are integrated to the appellation Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux.

Points of interest:

In the municipality of Saint-Philippe d'Aiguilhe, there are several sites to visit:

• The Candelaïre site, with its mill and its orientation table (GPS: 44.921153, -0.023460).
• The site of the Château Camp de la Hire.
• Wash houses, dovecotes
• The Saint-Philippe church (built between the 10th and the late 12th century) - a listed monument since 1920.
• The Château of Montagne (11th, late 16th and 19th century)
• The remains of the Château of Aiguilhe (14th, 17th and 18th centuries) along the Aiguilhe Creek. This castle successively belonged to the Templars knights and to noble families. Its most famous owner was the knight Le Breton, Lord of Aiguilhe in the late 18th century. He was the first President of the Parliament of Bordeaux. The Château has been in ruins since 1904 due to a fire.

• Opening days of the City hall

 Monday: 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. / Wednesday: 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. / Friday: 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.