Benest

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Benest
Benais
Benest coat of arms
Benest (France)
Benest
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente
Arrondissement Confolens
Canton Charente-Bonnieure
Community association Charente limousine
Coordinates 46 ° 2 ′  N , 0 ° 27 ′  E Coordinates: 46 ° 2 ′  N , 0 ° 27 ′  E
height 132-192 m
surface 21.10 km 2
Residents 315 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 15 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 16350
INSEE code 16038

Benest - View of the town with Saint-Justinien church

Benest ( Occitan : Benais ) is a place and a community with 315 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 Benest is about one kilometer south of the Charente river at an altitude of about 157 m above sea level. d. M. in the north of the old cultural landscape of the Angoumois at a short distance from the Vienne department and thus to the historical province of Poitou . The place is about 62 km (driving distance) in a north-easterly direction from the city of Angoulême ; It is around 73 km north to Poitiers .

Population development

year 1800 1851 1901 1954 1999 2013
Residents 1,262 1,466 1,282 867 382 330

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

economy

The place and its surroundings were dominated by agriculture for centuries; Most of the people lived on the produce of their fields and gardens as self-sufficient ; cattle breeding was also carried out on a small scale. Craftsmen and small traders also settled in the village. 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 - it is of little importance. In the 18th and 19th centuries, larger clay pots ( ponnes ) were made in the municipality , which were very popular in large parts of south-west France. 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

In ancient times, the region belonged to the settlement area of ​​the Celtic pictons , who were subjugated by Caesar during the Gallic War .

A document from 1153 shows that the place was a priory of the Charroux Abbey ; later he formed an exclave of the historical province of Poitou in the area of ​​the Charente. Several limestone sarcophagi were discovered in the cemetery , the material of which comes from the Angoulême area. According to local tradition, the residents of Benest were exempted from all taxes by Charlemagne as thanks for their loyalty - a privilege that later had to be confirmed by the respective French king when he took office. A related inscription from the time of Francis I can still be seen on the church wall today.

Attractions

  • The former priory church and today's parish church of Saint-Justinien is a single - nave, barrel-vaulted Romanesque building from the 12th century with later changes - in the 19th century the nave was raised by about 1.50 m and vaulted. While large parts of the church building and the apse are made of only slightly worked rubble stones, the outer arcades on the south side of the nave and the crossing tower, which was probably added in the 15th century, are made of precisely hewn stone material. Some parts of the castle-like fortified former priory building are still preserved. The church building was classified as a monument historique in 1984 . The figure of a 'Mother of God with Child' created in the 18th century is recognized separately as a monument historique .
Château d'Ordières
  • Some of the former pottery can still be seen in the village.
outside
  • The Château d'Ordières is about 2 km away on the north bank of the Charente ( 46 ° 3 ′ 0.7 ″  N , 0 ° 28 ′ 23.5 ″  E ). The building with a round stair tower originally dates from the 15th century; however, it was changed inside in the 17th century. The privately owned country castle has been classified as a Monument historique since 1989 .
  • The Château de la Borderie from the 16th century with a new building from the 19th / 20th century. Century has also been a listed building since 2003.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Benest - Viticulture
  2. ^ Église Saint-Justinien, Benest in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  3. ^ Église Saint-Justinien, Benest in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  4. ↑ Château d'Ordières, Benest in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  5. ↑ Château de la Borderie, Benest in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)