Chalais (Charente)

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Chalais
Chalais coat of arms
Chalais (France)
Chalais
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente
Arrondissement Angoulême
Canton Tude-et-Lavalette (main town)
Community association Lavalette Tude Dronne
Coordinates 45 ° 16 ′  N , 0 ° 2 ′  E Coordinates: 45 ° 16 ′  N , 0 ° 2 ′  E
height 36-130 m
surface 17.58 km 2
Residents 1,759 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 100 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 16210
INSEE code 16073
Website www.chalais.net

Chalais - the townscape with a castle

Chalais is a southwestern French municipality with 1759 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .

location

Chalais lies at an altitude of about 60 to 80 meters above sea level. d. M. on the river Tude in the extreme south of the Charente department. The place is about 50 kilometers (driving distance) south of Angoulême ; the city of Périgueux is about 65 kilometers to the east. The neighboring towns of Saint-Aulaye and Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, which are worth seeing , are about 13 kilometers southeast and twelve kilometers east, respectively.

Population development

year 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2016
Residents 1,834 2,538 2,204 2.172 2,027 1,974 1,771

Since the first census in France in 1793, the number of inhabitants of Chalais has steadily increased.

economy

The inhabitants of the place live mainly from agriculture and forestry as well as from handicrafts and small trade. A smaller company manufacturing office furniture was relocated, a small part of the workforce then founded a new company and carried on on their own. The rental of holiday homes and apartments ( gîtes ) also plays an important role in the municipality's economic life.

history

From the 13th century until the French Revolution , the basic rule ( seigneurie ) over Chalais lay with the Talleyrand-Périgord family , whose members referred to themselves as the "Princes of Chalais".

Attractions

  • The castle was the seat of the Talleyrand-Périgord family for centuries. A castle is documented as early as the 11th century, but in its current form it largely corresponds to a new building from the 16th century. The Torburg ( châtelet ) has a drawbridge and the mighty flank tower still shows medieval elements ( machikoulis ); the strict lines of the residential wing ( corps de logis ), on the other hand, correspond to contemporary tastes. The castle has been recognized as a monument historique since 2003 .

  • Chateau de Chalais

  • Château de Chalais

  • Torburg ( châtelet )

  • patio

  • The three-aisled Romanesque church of Saint-Martial was probably once a priory church of the Saint-Martial monastery in Limoges . After severe destruction in the wars of religion , only the facade, designed according to a triumphal arch scheme, has been preserved in its original state. The nave was destroyed in the 16th century and rebuilt a little later in simple forms. The archivolt portal has a multi-jagged arch - reminiscent of Moorish models - as an inner closure and is thus comparable to the churches of Celles-sur-Belle and Aubeterre-sur-Dronne . In the tympanum field of the right dazzling portal there are remains of an Adoration of the Kings . The interior of the church is covered with a - partly painted - wooden ceiling. The facade has been designated as a monument historique since 1902 .

  • Saint-Martial - dazzling portal

  • Église Saint-Martial

  • Cloître

  • Cloître

  • The church belonged to a monastery or priory that was abandoned before the revolution. The associated cloister ( cloître ) was built in the 17th century and is now attached to an old people's home. It has been recognized as a Monument historique since 1991 .
  • The churches of Sainte-Marie and Saint-Christophe date from the end of the 19th century.

Partner communities

Personalities

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Château, Chalais in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  2. ↑ Église Saint-Martial, Chalais in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  3. ↑ Cloître, Chalais in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)