Chauvigny
| Chauvigny | ||
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| region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Vienne | |
| Arrondissement | Poitiers | |
| Canton | Chauvigny (main town) | |
| Community association | Grand Poitiers | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 34 ' N , 0 ° 39' E | |
| height | 61-149 m | |
| surface | 95.82 km 2 | |
| Residents | 7,049 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 74 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 86300 | |
| INSEE code | 86070 | |
| Website | https://www.chauvigny.fr/ | |
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Chauvigny is a French village with 7049 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Vienne in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine ; it belongs to the arrondissement of Poitiers and the canton of Chauvigny . Chauvigny is about 25 kilometers east of Poitiers on the Vienne . Chauvigny is known for its medieval upper town ( Cité médiévale ) and there in particular for the capitals in its Romanesque church Saint-Pierre (see separate article).
coat of arms
Description : In silver, a red spindle division , above a six-lobed black tournament collar
history
The Latin Calviniacum is of great importance due to its location on a steep rock ridge that dominates the Vienne. In the 10th and 11th centuries, the bishops of Poitiers and other high-ranking aristocrats built five fortified castles and a church.
With the Romanesque church of St. Pierre and a residential development that fills the gaps, the whole is surrounded by a fortress wall and thus becomes a fortified village, a castrum , today's upper town of Chauvigny. Parallels can be found in the Périgord, with the Château de Commarque .
During the Hundred Years War the place was sacked by the Earl of Derby in 1346 . In 1372 the English were driven out by Bertrand du Guesclin and Johann von Berry , but in 1412 Chauvigny fell back into the hands of the English. In 1562 the Huguenots occupied the settlement, but were driven out again by the royal troops. Under Gaspard de Coligny , they return in 1569 on the eve of the Battle of Moncontour, with the castles, town and the Saint-Pierre church being looted and burned down.
During the Fronde , Charles Chasteigner, marquis de La Roche-Posay, occupied the place in 1652, but was replaced by the Duke of Roannes in the same year. In 1708 the parliament asked the bishop of Poitiers to look after the ruined place, but until the French Revolution it became a “ carrière publique ”, a public quarry from which the remaining inhabitants make use of. In 1843 the state entrusted the ruins to the Société des Antiquaires de l'Ouest , which managed to save some of them.
The upper town of Chauvigny
The upper town of Chauvigny - Cité Médiéval - consists of five castle ruins, a towering church “Saint-Pierre” and a few small houses.
The ensemble of the upper town, which was formerly surrounded by a defensive wall, was built on a rocky ridge and provides an example of medieval military architecture with the remains that still seem defensive. Thorsten Droste writes: The concentrated juxtaposition of numerous ruins from the feudal era, in which the defiant towers play a prominent role, makes Chauvigny a counterpart to Tuscan cities with their family towers.
The steep-walled limestone cliff on which the upper town rests resembles a piece of cake tapering towards the south, the vertical edge of which one has to imagine the town wall. On the north side, because of the lack of a steep slope, the city wall alone has to provide safe protection.
In the site plan, which shows the fortress walls in their preserved state, one recognizes two former transverse subdivisions of the upper town, presumably through defensive walls, which are of strategic importance in case of defense. At the western and southern corner of the defensive walls of the upper town, the continuing fortress walls of the lower town are connected.
The high plateau, which was easy to defend with relatively little effort due to the existing natural fortification, was very popular with potential building prospects at the time and - along with the bishops of Poitiers - was divided among the most powerful aristocratic families in the area.
Château Baronnial
The icing on the cake of the limestone rock, namely the southern tip, was reserved for the bishops of Poitiers, who were both barons and liege lords of the lower nobility. The episcopal castle, the "Château Baronnial", was built here at the end of the 11th, but mostly in the 12th century, the largest and most important military building on the castle hill, with a circumference of 230 meters. Construction began on the donjon (keep), also the largest on site, with a rectangular floor plan, measuring 17 × 22 meters and wall thicknesses of 1.20 to 2.30 meters.
Three storeys can be seen on the inside of the donjon. On the outside, the walls have strong reinforcements made of rectangular wall templates on the lower two floors, on the upper floor there are cylindrical towers at the corners of the building, which protrude over the wall crowns.
Archaeological excavations inside the donjon have uncovered the existence of an older but much smaller forerunner of the donjon, the remains of which are buried under the current embankments.
Château Baronnial Gallery
Donjon, corner
Donjon, interior
Chât.Neuf
Valley side
The donjon is still almost completely surrounded by remains of the walls, courtyards and buildings of the former outer bailey. In the high Middle Ages of the 14th century, the "Château Neuf", which can still be recognized today by the towering and jagged ruins of the then new buildings, on the north side of the castle facing the upper town, was added to these.
Since 1957, excavations have been carried out by archaeological authorities in order to explore the complex and its history. In addition, the historical substance was secured from further deterioration. In the ruins today, the flying skills of birds of prey are demonstrated to visitors in the form of a show.
Château d'Harcourt
The Château takes its name from Jean II, a member of the rather important family d'Harcourt from Normandy, who married a Vicomtesse de Châtellerault around 1280 and from this connection became Vice Count of Châtellerault. In the 13th century he had the Château d'Harcourt built next to the episcopal castle, probably on the remains of a previous castle. The fortress remained in the possession of the d'Harcourt family for about 200 years and was transferred to the neighbors, the Bishops of Poitiers, barons of Chauvigny, in 1447.
Before the current renovation of the Donjon de Gouzon, the Château d'Harcourt is the best-preserved castle complex in the upper town of Chauvigny. It consists of a bailey and a donjon. The outer bailey is rectangular and measures 29 × 39 meters outside. The valley-facing wall of the outer bailey, facing east, is an extension of and adjoining the defensive walls of the fortified upper town, i.e. also on the outer edge of the steep rock face of the castle hill. The other three sides have defensive walls over 2 meters thick and high, some of which are sloped on the outside at their foot.
At the corners of the outer bailey and in between there are cylindrical towers with a diameter of almost 4 meters. The loopholes made in it show them as active defensive elements of the castle. Because the towers protrude from the walls, about half their diameter, there is a wide-angled field of fire for the shooters who persist in them in the event of a defense. The access gate is flanked by a kind of double tower that could be secured with a drop gate and portcullis. Between the towers there are niches on the inside of the walls, in the middle of which loopholes are cut out, from which two shooters could use their weapons at the same time.
The donjon consists of two towers, of which only the southern one towers high, and from courtyard level three floors are very high because of the domed vaults, plus roof structures. It is completely erected on the outside in front of the defensive wall of the upper town and the outer bailey, and from there extends far down to the significantly deeper rock embankment. The walls are reinforced by generous, right-angled wall templates that increase in thickness towards the bottom.
On the bottom floor of the south tower, a vaulted cellar served as a prison until the 19th century. The outer door of the cell had a peculiar mechanism. It could stand slightly open, but prevented the inmates from escaping with a bolt.
The interior of the donjon (south tower) can be reached today via the stairs in the north wing through a door on the first floor. The whole floor plan is taken up by a hall, covered with a barrel vault, in a medieval ambience. The large room was used for living and for the guard to stay. There are windows on three sides of the room that let in plenty of daylight. On the gable walls, larger niches are covered with round arches and 2 narrow window openings each. There are benches on both sides of the reveal of the niches, which are known to have led to the expression "window sills".
A small door leads to a staircase that opens up the living rooms and lounges on the upper floors. The upper parts of the north tower were redesigned in the 16th century.
The donjon (south tower) is covered with a steep gable roof, which is clearly dominated by the gable walls on the east and west sides.
The north tower, which has changed significantly over the years, is only two storeys high from the courtyard level. As with the south tower, its substructure extends down in front of the vertical rock face to the massive rock slope. Here, too, you will find pillars and supports for the building corners that are increasing downwards. In the rooms on the two upper floors, changing exhibitions of fine arts are presented today.
Château d'Harcourt gallery
Donjon, outside the defensive wall
Street side
Loopholes
Portal tower from the courtyard
These, like all other castles and the Saint Pierre church, are lined up on both sides of the “main street”, which climbs slightly to the north, at more or less large intervals.
Château de Montléon
A little later uphill to the left: the sparse remains of the "Château Montleon", within a much younger building, which at least from the outside do not give a hint of a former château.
The donjon was probably built in the 13th century. It was rectangular and had pillar templates rounded in the shape of a circle, similar to those of the Donjon of Gouzon (2nd construction phase). In addition to the donjon, there was a tower with a trapezoidal shape, the Tour de Oger . The outer wall on the west side of the chateau, along the Rue des Rampes , represents a well-preserved section of the medieval building fabric, despite the modern window openings.
Around 1295, Guy II de Montléon gave the castle to Gauthier de Bruges, Bishop of Poitiers and Lord of Chauvigny. The de Montéon family was for a time titled the Barony of Montmorillon, and they were the owners of the Château de Touffon in Bonnes. Until the end of the Middle Ages, the Château de Montléon was able to be preserved in the good condition that its new owners found. At the beginning of the 16th century the old buildings began to decline.
Saint Pierre
See main article : St-Pierre (Chauvigny)
Approximately in the middle of the length of the upper town there is an interruption in the sequence of castle ruins by the collegiate church " Saint Pierre ". It is a jewel of the Poitevini Romanesque and therefore also one of the sights in Chauvigny. “Saint Pierre” owes this assessment in particular to the masterful sculpture of its capitals and their colored setting, based on the Romanesque style, as well as the painting of the entire interior. One of the first publicly visible artist's signatures in the Middle Ages with a cheeky “GOFRIDUS ME FECIT” certainly contributed to the fame of the capitals, because according to tradition, “Gottfried” as a stonemason only belonged to the lower professions.
Château de Gouzon
The same side continues with the massive donjon, apparently the only remnant of the former Château de Gouzon. The château got its name after a marriage between the Blanche de Beaumont and Guy de Gouzon, from the Bourbon family, towards the end of the 13th century.
The foundation walls of a previous building below the donjon were discovered during the renovation work at the end of the 20th century and date to 3,500 years before the beginning of our era.
On the north and south sides of the donjon it can be clearly seen that it was built in two construction phases: The first section consists of a donjon from the 12th century, with an almost square floor plan, measuring 12 × 12 meters (over everything) , a wall thickness of 2 meters and at a height of almost 12 meters, above adjacent terrain. In the 13th century, this tower, presumably by the rulers of the de Gouzon, was extended to a floor plan, on the average 13 × 20 meters in size, and about 17 meters in height. The new walls are only about 1.30 meters thick. What is striking in the facades is the alternation of the cross-sections of the outer pillars of the masonry, angular in the first tower and rounded in the form of a circular arc in the extension.
The round pillar templates, especially on the corners of the building, make the donjon appear much more defensive, as one initially believes it is surrounded by round towers that can be walked on, equipped with defenders ready to fire. The pillars are made of solid masonry and are intended to additionally stabilize the rising walls.
The height of the donjon was divided into storeys by layers of wooden beams. On top, but still hidden under the outer wall crowns, there was a roof sloping on all sides, the "walkable" gutters behind the outer walls were drained to the outside via wall passages and gargoyles.
Almost nothing is left of the walls, courtyards and buildings that surely existed once that surrounded the donjon in the Middle Ages. The retaining wall along the main road is probably part of this outer bailey. On the east wall on the valley side, above the 1st construction phase, the rear of a fireplace made of clinker along with a number of beam holes can be seen, which suggests former extensions at this height.
Around 1350 the Château de Gouzon must have been bought by the bishops of Poitiers, who were also the lords of Chauvigny. A visit by the delegates of the episcopal administration of Poitiers is documented for 1687, during which the Château de Gouzon was declared a ruin as a whole.
In 1889 the remains of the chateau were classified as " Monument historique " by government agencies . In the 1990s, an extensive and multi-year restoration program was carried out.
Today there is a museum in and partly next to the donjon, with a permanent exhibition on the subject of “Industrial Archeology”, supplemented by temporary exhibitions on historical topics, such as B. About the Celts. The Donjon received a new height division with reinforced concrete ceilings, into four above-ground floors, one of which is double the height, plus a basement. The holes in the walls, in which the old layers of beams and the roof structure were supported, were left visible. The floors and the accessible roof are reached by a modern round elevator shaft made of shiny polished metal, which is spiral-shaped by the staircase. The whole thing can be classified as an architectural work of art.
One must not forget the large exhibition room to the south of the donjon, which is completely covered by a steel and glass construction. Inside is a steam engine, which is slowly driven electrically for demonstration purposes. Here you can also see the foundation wall of the previous structure of the donjon.
Château de Gouzon gallery
Museum, steam engine
Museum, glass roof
Gargoyles
latrine
Tour de Flins
The fifth and last of the castles in a row is the “Tour de Flins”, which can be seen from the main street of the upper town and, within its panorama, from the valley floor. Compared to the others, it is a small donjon from the 12th century, with a rectangular floor plan measuring 8.50 × 7.25 m. It has four floors, including a basement. The medieval outer walls have simple pillars at the corners of the building. In the 15th century, new, larger windows were installed. Today's private residents have built a winter garden with large glass surfaces on the valley side. The tour is covered by a steep hipped roof. The interior cannot be viewed by the public.
from the east, valley side
Roof turret
The lower town of Chauvigny
Notre Dame The Romanesque parish church “Notre-Dame” on the market square of the lower town cannot be compared with the artistic qualities of Saint-Pierre in the upper town.
Chauvigny, Lower Town, Notre-Dame parish church, facade
Chauvigny, Parish Church of Notre-Dame, from NW
Chauvigny, Notre-Dame parish church, head of the SO
Chauvigny, Notre Dame parish church, capitals on choir apse
Saint-Pierre-les-Églises
The Saint-Pierre church , the oldest church in town, is located directly on the Vienne . In the partly Carolingian church, wall paintings from the 9th or 10th century still exist in the choir. They are the oldest witnesses to wall painting in Poitou, 100 years older than those in the Abbey of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe (!). There are still Merovingian sarcophagi in the cemetery.
St.-Pierre-les-Églises, cemetery of O
St.-Pierre-les-Églises, Merovingian sarcophagi
Town twinning
- Geisenheim , Germany
- Banfora , Burkina Faso , since 1973
- Trino , Italy
- Billericay , UK
sons and daughters of the town
- Fernand Lamy (1881–1966), conductor, composer and music teacher
Others
- The Maison des Templiers (Route de Châtellerault ).
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Vienne. Volume 1, Flohic Editions, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-128-7 , pp. 130-150.
- Pol Jouteau: Chauvigny, les Chauvinois . 1933.
- Jacques Duguet: Petite histoire de Chauvigny . 2004.
Web links
- Community website
- Information Office de Tourisme de Chauvigny
- Chauvigny on the Insee website
- Aerial views of Chauvigny
Individual evidence
- ↑ Poitou 1999