Meursac

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Meursac
Meursac (France)
Meursac
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement Saintes
Canton Saintonge Estuaire
Community association Gémozac et la Saintonge Viticole
Coordinates 45 ° 39 ′  N , 0 ° 48 ′  W Coordinates: 45 ° 39 ′  N , 0 ° 48 ′  W
height 7-41 m
surface 26.17 km 2
Residents 1,489 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 57 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 17120
INSEE code 17232

Meursac - View of the town with Saint-Martin church

Meursac is a western commune with 1,489 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .

location

Meursac is located in the old cultural landscape of the Saintonge about 23 kilometers (driving distance) southwest of Saintes and about 25 kilometers northwest of Pons . The main town of the community association, Gémozac , is located about 17 kilometers to the southeast.

Population development

year 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2016
Residents 975 916 909 922 1006 1100 1469

In the first half of the 19th century the number of inhabitants was consistently between 1,300 and 1,600; afterwards the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the mechanization of agriculture caused a steady decline. Due to the relative proximity to the cities of Saintes and Pons and the comparatively low rental and property prices, the population of Meursac has increased slightly again in recent years.

economy

Agriculture and viticulture have determined the economic life of the place for centuries, which also functioned as a trade, craft and service center for the - meanwhile largely disappeared - hamlets and farmsteads in the surrounding area. The soils of the commune belong to the Bons Bois cultivation area of ​​the Cognac wine-growing region , but 'normal' wine and Pineau des Charentes are also produced. Grain (wheat, maize) is also grown on some areas. Since the 1980s, tourism (rental of holiday apartments) has been added as a source of income.

history

The oldest settlement find in the area of ​​today's municipality is a Gallo-Roman estate ( villa rustica ) from the 4th or 5th century AD, which belonged to a certain Murcius , who was probably named after the medieval town ( Murciacum ). The crypt of the church, which was probably originally built as an underground hiding place, perhaps also as a place of worship, dates from the same time . In the 11th century, the village's church belonged to the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu , more than 300 kilometers away (as the crow flies) , which maintained a priory here , which in turn was subordinate to the Priory of Sainte-Gemme . It was equipped with a handsome Romanesque church in the 12th century . At around the same time, the existence of a Commandery of the Templar Order in the area of ​​the municipality is recorded. It is not known whether the place was affected in the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). During the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) the church was set on fire and partially destroyed. Nothing is known of any further destruction during the French Revolution .

Attractions

Saint Martin Church

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Meursac

  • The single-nave parish church of Saint-Martin is a building from the early 12th century with a largely unadorned, but architecturally sophisticated archivolt portal on the west facade, which was renewed in 1895. The corners of all facade levels are strengthened by shrinking service bundles ; two further half-column templates structure the facade vertically. The window in the middle area of ​​the facade takes up the portal scheme in a reduced form; it is accompanied by lateral blind arches. The console frieze above closes the middle facade level at the top; on it rests a completely unadorned gable field. Due to the destruction during the wars of religion, the entire eastern part of the church was redesigned in the 16th century, with the spacious interior having three aisles; in the exterior, however, a well-fortified character can be observed that from a bretèche ( échauguette or bretèche is underlined). Church construction has been recognized as a monument historique since 1909 .
Château de la Mothe
  • The underground crypt, carved out of the limestone, was only rediscovered in 1857. It probably has nothing to do with the medieval church, but is attributed to the 4th or 5th century - i.e. the Gallo-Roman period. Their function could have been an underground cult place or a hiding place, in which (later) the dead of the community were also buried.
  • The ruins of the Templar Commandery are in the Les Épeaux district . The buildings were given to the Hospitaller Order after the Order of the Templars was dissolved in 1312 . In the period that followed, however, the buildings deteriorated more and more.
  • The Château de la Mothe dates back to the 15th century and is privately owned. The architecture of the Corps de Logis with its many windows refers to the Renaissance, whereas the round windowless corner turrets are still in the spirit of the Middle Ages.

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 1, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 250-252.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Église Saint-Martin, Meursac in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)