Mortagne-sur-Gironde
| Mortagne-sur-Gironde | ||
|---|---|---|
.svg)
|
|
|
| region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Charente-Maritime | |
| Arrondissement | Saintes | |
| Canton | Saintonge Estuaire | |
| Community association | Royan Atlantique | |
| Coordinates | 45 ° 22 ′ N , 0 ° 34 ′ W | |
| height | 9-108 m | |
| surface | 26.94 km 2 | |
| Residents | 904 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 34 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 17150 | |
| INSEE code | 17248 | |
| Website | www.mortagne-sur-gironde.fr | |
 Mortagne-sur-Gironde - the village |
||
Mortagne-sur-Gironde is a western French community with 904 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .
location
Mortagne-sur-Gironde is located near the northeast bank of the Gironde estuary about 36 kilometers (driving distance) southwest of Saintes and 33 kilometers southeast of Royan .
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2007 | 2016 |
| Residents | 1310 | 1210 | 1121 | 1039 | 972 | 967 | 1037 | 911 |
In the 19th and first half of the 20th century, the place consistently had between 1,200 and 1,700 inhabitants. As a result of the mechanization of agriculture and the resulting loss of jobs, the population fell significantly in the second half of the 20th century.
economy
Agriculture has played a dominant role in the municipality's economic life for centuries. This is one of the Bons Bois of the Cognac wine-growing region , but because of the sales crisis for brandies, hardly any wine is grown anymore. Many farmers have returned to 'normal' agriculture.
history
Prehistoric and Gallo-Roman finds have been made in the municipality . The hermitage in the rock face south of the village may date from the 2nd or 3rd century AD. In the Middle Ages, Augustinian monks founded a priory here , which survived the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) unscathed, but was badly damaged in the French Wars of Religion (1562–1598). With the edict of Nantes issued by Henry IV in 1598, the situation calmed down, but after the murder of the king (1610) new hostilities flared up between Catholics and Protestants , so that Louis XIII. and saw his Chancellor Richelieu intervene. Mortagne, which remained Catholic, served the king's army as a base for a time and was fortified accordingly. Richelieu himself carried the title of 'Prince of Mortagne' from 1624 until his death (1642). In the 18th century, the city's port was expanded into a military port and connected to the Gironde by a canal.
Attractions
See also: List of Monuments historiques in Mortagne-sur-Gironde
- About 600 meters south of the village is the hermit church of Saint-Martial, carved into the limestone cliffs of the former steep coast, the age of which is unclear: while some researchers date the hermitage to the 2nd or 3rd century, all elements visible today point to a construction period in the Middle Ages. The entrance to the church is hidden in a rocky ravine, but in the Middle Ages a free-standing round bell and / or watchtower was built from rubble stones above the church , which can be seen from afar. The church itself is completely hewn out of the rock with a single nave and an apse; the two statues of St. Martial and St. Anthony are also carved out of the rock. The rock church ( église monolithique ) has been recognized as a monument historique since 1987 .
Bell tower or watchtower
Entrance to the rock church
War memorial and Saint-Étienne church
- The parish church of Saint-Étienne is a rather inconspicuous single-nave building with a transept from the 12th century. It was formerly part of an Augustinian priory, which was set on fire in the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) and later rebuilt. The plastered vaults inside are a work of the 18th century; It was probably during this time that the side windows of the nave were enlarged and sloped inwards. The west tower and the glass windows date from the end of the 19th century. Despite the many renovations, the building was recognized as a Monument historique in 1987 .
Partner communities
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 1, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 232-234.
Web links
- Mortagne-sur-Gironde, Hermitage monolithique - aerial view, photo + brief information (in French)
- Mortagne-sur-Gironde, Église Saint-Étienne - Photos
- Mortagne-sur-Gironde, Église Saint-Étienne - aerial view, photo + brief information (in French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église monolithique, Mortagne-sur-Gironde in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Église Saint-Étienne, Mortagne-sur-Gironde in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)