Abzac (Charente)

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Abzac
Azac
Abzac (France)
Abzac
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente
Arrondissement Confolens
Canton Charente-Vienne
Community association Charente limousine
Coordinates 46 ° 6 ′  N , 0 ° 42 ′  E Coordinates: 46 ° 6 ′  N , 0 ° 42 ′  E
height 122-232 m
surface 33.35 km 2
Residents 484 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 15 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 16500
INSEE code 16001

Church Saint-Sulpice

Abzac ( Occitan : Azac ) is a place and a community with 484 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in western France Charente in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine . The community consists of several hamlets and individual farms .

location

The place Abzac is about one kilometer east of the Vienne river at an altitude of about 190 m above sea level. d. M. in the extreme northeast of the department in the old cultural landscape of the Angoumois , part of the Charente landscape . The distance from Angoulême is approximately 75 km (driving distance) in a north-easterly direction; the city of Limoges is only around 60 km to the south-east.

Population development

year 1800 1851 1901 1954 1999 2013
Residents 810 1,201 1,280 950 544 484

The continuous decline in the population in the 20th century is mainly due to the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the increasing mechanization of agriculture .

economy

The place and its surroundings were dominated by agriculture for centuries; most people lived on a self-sufficient basis ; In the village itself there were also craftsmen, small traders and service providers. In the late Middle Ages and early modern times, viticulture was promoted, but - after the phylloxera crisis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries - was almost stopped. At the beginning of the 20th century several brickworks ( tuileries ) were built, only one of which still exists. Since the 1960s tourism has played a not insignificant role in the economic life of the municipality in the form of renting out holiday homes ( gîtes ).

history

The presence of early humans in today's area of ​​the community is attested by small finds. In the Middle Ages, Abzac was a parish priory of the Limoges diocese , due to its importance as a place of pilgrimage , which was subordinate to the Lesterps Abbey about ten kilometers south-east ; here the relics of hll. Lucius and emeritus venerated. There are no sources for the High Middle Ages, the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) and the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598). In the course of the French Revolution (1801) the place came to the diocese of Angoulême .

Attractions

Château de Serre
Château de Fayolle
  • The former priory church and today's parish church of Saint-Sulpice stands in the center of the village; it is an unadorned 13th century building with numerous later changes. The nave is no longer vaulted, but is spanned by an open wooden roof truss . The relics of both Saints Lucius and Emeritus are presented every seven years from Easter Monday to Whit Monday.
  • The market hall ( hall ) formed the economic and cultural center of the place for centuries. Your roof rests on 28 wooden supports.
  • About one kilometer north of the village ( 46 ° 6 ′ 32 ″  N , 0 ° 42 ′ 10 ″  E ) and dominating the Vienne valley is the Château de Serre , a two- wing , two-storey building made of rubble with an internal stair tower from around 1500 with later changes. It is privately owned and was recognized as a Monument historique in 1988 .
  • The Château de Fayolle ( 46 ° 5 ′ 49 ″  N , 0 ° 41 ′ 40 ″  E ), located around one and a half southwest of the village, has a similar, but three-story construction with a centrally positioned stair tower and four reduced corner towers.

Web links

Commons : Abzac  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Abzac - Viticulture
  2. ↑ Château de Serre, Abzac in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)