Primarily built on the left bank of the Charente, Saintes became the first Roman capital of Aquitaine. Later it was designated as the capital of the province of Saintonge under the Ancien Regime. Following the French Revolution, it briefly became the prefecture of the department during the territorial reorganization of 1790, until La Rochelle was designated and superseded it in 1810. Although it only had the status of a subprefecture, Saintes was allowed to remain the judicial center of the department.
The Arch of Germanicus, a triumphal arch, was built at the entrance to a bridge, where the main Roman road crossed the Charente. The bridge was demolished in 1843 but the Arch was saved and rebuilt at its present location on the bank of the river.
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