Église Saint-Vivien de Pons, Romanesque church in Pons, France

Église Saint-Vivien de Pons is a Romanesque church in Pons whose west facade has a five-order round-arched portal flanked by two smaller blind portals, above which a two-light late-Gothic window with fish-bladder tracery pierces the wall. Two asymmetrical bell gables rise at the sides, and the 18th-century aisles give the interior low arcades on plain piers and flat wooden ceilings.

Construction of the church began in the 12th century, with the structure documented in written records from Bishop Adhémar Charbonell. The building later received protection as a classified historical monument in recognition of its architectural value.

The church is dedicated to Saint Bibianus (Vivien), a supposed 5th-century bishop of Saintes about whom almost nothing is known; a fictitious depiction of him appears on the north side of the 19th-century stained glass in the Gothic west window. Saint-Vivien was a priory before becoming the parish church of Pons.

The church stands at the lower end of Pons, along the Seugne and on the way to the 12th-century pilgrims' hospital. The west facade faces the street; the two lower side doors are offset from the central portal. The 18th-century side aisles and their plain triangular gables are best seen from outside before entering.

The structure stands out for its unusual layout: two smaller doors are positioned on the sides of the facade rather than at the traditional front entrance. This unconventional design, combined with asymmetrical bell towers, sets it apart from typical Romanesque buildings of the period.