Biron (Charente-Maritime)
| Biron | ||
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| region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Charente-Maritime | |
| Arrondissement | Jonzac | |
| Canton | Pons | |
| Community association | Haute-Saintonge | |
| Coordinates | 45 ° 34 ′ N , 0 ° 29 ′ W | |
| height | 15-81 m | |
| surface | 8.71 km 2 | |
| Residents | 230 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 26 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 17800 | |
| INSEE code | 17047 | |
 Biron - Saint-Eutrope or Notre-Dame church |
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Biron is a western French community with 230 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .
location
Biron is about 50 meters above sea level. d. M. at a distance of about 26 kilometers (driving distance) southeast of Saintes in the cultural landscape of the Saintonge . The canton's capital, Pons , is about six kilometers to the west. Other places with impressive Romanesque churches are just a few kilometers away: Pérignac , Bougneau , Échebrune , Chadenac , Avy , Marignac u. a.
Population development
| year | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2007 | 2016 |
| Residents | 219 | 208 | 190 | 249 | 234 | 234 | 226 |
In the first half of the 19th century the place had well over 400 inhabitants, but due to the phylloxera crisis and the increasing mechanization of agriculture, the number of inhabitants steadily declined.
economy
Agriculture (grain and wine) still plays the major role in the economic life of the small community that is part of the Fins Bois wine-growing area in the Cognac region.
history
No specific information is published about the history of Biron. The history of the place is likely to be closely linked to that of Saintes or Pons.
Attractions
- The most important attraction of Biron is the formerly Saint-Eutrope, but today consecrated to Notre-Dame, which is essentially attributable to the 12th century - the style period of the Romanesque . In the 15./16. In the 17th century, a late Gothic side chapel was added to the south side of the apse , which was provided with a straight end , the apse was vaulted with a rib vault and the walls of the apse and side walls were built for defense purposes ( fortified church ); However, the side walls were not - as elsewhere (e.g. Écurat , La Couronne, etc.) - reinforced by powerful buttresses . The squat octagonal crossing tower has sound openings in all directions. The west facade impresses with its harmonious structure on three levels: The lower level shows a five-fold stepped back tympanum-free archivolt portal with two smaller side blind portals ( triumphal arch motif ). An eleven-arched blind arcade zone rises above a console frieze - the middle arch is raised compared to the others and has a window to light the nave from the west. A cornice with a block frieze separates the middle from the upper level, which consists only of an unadorned gable field. The portal decoration consists essentially of (fabulous) animals, foliage and abstract ornaments. The single-nave interior of the church is closed with a wooden vault, the crossing area has a dome on pendentives , the almost square apse closes at the top with an eight-part ribbed vault. Large blind arcades and pronounced half-column templates suggest that a stone vaulting of the nave was planned, which, however, was not implemented. A surrounding, painted frieze from the 16./17. Century can be found in many churches in the region (e.g. Rétaud , Rioux ). The church was classified as a monument historique in 1907 .
- Diagonally in front of the church is a stone cross from the 17th century that strong in its construction and in its overall character to the spread in the region Hosanna crosses remembered in this case, but - as Kalvarienkreuz (- because of the representation of the crucified calvaire referred) becomes. The cross was also recognized as a monument historique in 1949 .
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , p. 589.
- Thorsten Droste : Poitou. Western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-7701-4456-2 , p. 223f.
Web links
- Biron, church - photos + info (in French)
- Biron, church - photos, floor plan + information (in French)
- Biron, church - photos
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Saint-Eutrope, Biron in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Calvaire devant l'Église, Biron in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)