Eglise Saint-Hilaire de Niort

This 19th century Byzantine Romanesque Revival church, partly financed by the Emperor Napoleon III and signed by Pierre-Théophile Segrétain, the first departmental architect of the Deux-Sèvres, bears the patronym of the evangelizer of Poitou, First bishop of Poitiers in the 4th century, Doctor of the Church who gave his name to 85 French communes including Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud (Marais Poitevin).
A large statue of the saint is represented on the facade, whose general shape resembles that of Notre-Dame la Grande de Poitiers. He is supervised by St Ambrose, Doctor of the Latin Church, and St Athanasius, Doctor of the Greek Church, both contemporaries of the bishop. Saint Hilary makes the sign of blessing with his right hand, holds in the left hand the Book of the Trinity and throws a monster.