Geay (Charente-Maritime)
| Geay | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Charente-Maritime | |
| Arrondissement | Saintes | |
| Canton | Saint-Porchaire | |
| Community association | Charente-Arnoult-Cœur de Saintonge | |
| Coordinates | 45 ° 52 ′ N , 0 ° 46 ′ W | |
| height | 1–30 m | |
| surface | 15.9 km 2 | |
| Residents | 747 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 47 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 17250 | |
| INSEE code | 17171 | |
 Townscape with Saint-Vivien church |
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Geay is a western commune with 747 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .
location
Geay is about 25 meters above sea level. d. M. in the historic cultural landscape of the Saintonge about 21 kilometers (driving distance) northwest of Saintes or 30 kilometers southeast of Rochefort .
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
| Residents | 507 | 509 | 460 | 444 | 464 | 570 | 626 | 742 |
In the 19th century the place always had between 570 and 840 inhabitants. The phylloxera crisis and the mechanization of agriculture led to a population decline, which has been stopped in Geay in recent decades due to the proximity to the large cities of Saintes and Rochefort and the comparatively low rents and land prices.
economy
For centuries, agriculture for the self-sufficiency of the population played the largest role in the economic life of the community. But wine has been grown in the area since Roman times, which has been distilled since early modern times and exported to northern Europe (especially to England ). Geay belongs to the Bois ordinaires et communs of the Cognac wine-growing region , but most of the grapes are processed into wine and Pineau des Charentes because of the sales problems with Cognac brandies .
history
The fact that the place has a Romanesque church suggests a long period of settlement, which probably goes back to the Gallo-Roman times.
Attractions
See also: List of Monuments historiques in Geay (Charente-Maritime)
- The Romanesque parish church of Saint-Vivien dates largely from the 12th century. While the west facade is completely unadorned and is more reminiscent of an emergency solution, the choir bays and polygonally broken apse are richly structured and are among the most impressive things that the Romanesque architecture of the Saintonge has to offer in this regard (cf. the churches of Rioux and Rétaud ): On the lower level there are wide blind arches , in the corresponding fields of the middle level there are narrow windows, which are framed by blind arches with inserted columns. The fields on the upper level are occupied by triple arcades . In the vertical, cranked service templates dominate from bulbous cornices . Inside the church, the nave and choir area are each single-nave and barrel-vaulted; the crossing is raised by blind arcades and is converted into an octagon via trumpets , which ends in a dome - open at the apex . The church has been recognized as a monument historique since 1907 .
- To the east of the village is a castle ( château ) from the end of the 16th century. It is privately owned and cannot be viewed. Major parts of the palace buildings have been recognized as Monument historique since 1983 .
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 937-938.
Web links
- Geay, Saint-Vivien church - photos + info (in French)
- Geay, Saint-Vivien church - photos + info (in French)
- Geay, Saint-Vivien church - aerial view, photo + brief information (in French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Saint-Vivien, Geay in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Château, Geay in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)