Oiron

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Oiron
Oiron (France)
Oiron
local community Plaine-et-Vallées
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Deux-Sèvres
Arrondissement Bressuire
Coordinates 46 ° 57 ′  N , 0 ° 5 ′  W Coordinates: 46 ° 57 ′  N , 0 ° 5 ′  W
Post Code 79100
Former INSEE code 79196
Incorporation 1st January 2019
status Commune déléguée

Oiron - townscape with castle and collegiate church Saint-Maurice

Oiron is a commune Déléguée in the French municipality of Plaine-et-Vallées with 903 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Deux-Sèvres in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .

location

The small town is about 13 kilometers southwest of Thouars and 56 kilometers northwest of Poitiers .

Neighboring municipalities of Oiron were Pas-de-Jeu in the north, Saint-Laon in the northeast, Arçay in the east, Brie and Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes in the southeast, Irais in the south, Saint-Généroux in the southwest, and Taizé-Maulais in the west Saint-Léger-de-Montbrun to the west.

economy

Agriculture, handicrafts and retail trade are the main occupations in rural France. The soils around Oiron are still considered particularly fertile and around 20% of French melons are produced here.

Population development

In 1973 the municipalities of Bilazais, Brie and Noizé joined the municipality of Oiron as a "commune associé". Brie resigned from the community in 1983.

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2010
Residents 878 830 1317 1254 1009 946 961

history

In the Middle Ages the small settlement was called Villa Orioni . For several centuries the area belonged to the Counts of Thouars. However, the history of the place in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance is closely linked to the Gouffier family. In 1449, the French King Charles VII donated the fertile lands to Guillaume Gouffier, his royal valet ( valet de chambre du Roi ). Artus Gouffier was a chamberlain ( chambellan ) of Francis I and accompanied him on his Italian campaign. Impressed by the Renaissance art of Italy, he returned to France and immediately began building the castle and the church, both of which, however, were only completed by his son Claude Gouffier. Around 1700 the castle came into the possession of Madame de Montespan (1640–1707), the ex-mistress of Louis XIV, as a retirement home .

On January 1, 2019, the municipality of Oiron merged with Brie , Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes and Taizé-Maulais to form the Commune nouvelle Plaine-et-Vallées. Since then it has had the status of a Commune déléguée. The municipality of Oiron belonged to the Arrondissement Bressuire and the canton Le Val de Thouet .

Attractions

  • The Oiron Castle dates back to the 16th century and is recognized as a monument historique . Its architecture is derived from the Renaissance style of the Loire castles; However, it was built in one go and is therefore architecturally much more uniform than this one. The interior of the castle is now used as a museum (Renaissance paintings, modern art).
  • The collegiate church ( Collégiale ) Saint-Maurice d'Oiron is also recognized as a Monument historique and was built at the same time as the castle and by the same builders. The architecture of the church shows a mixture of late Gothic ( tracery windows ) and Renaissance elements (dome with lantern on the tower). In the transept there are 4 tombs with reclining figures ( Gisants ) of members of the Gouffier family, who suffered badly during the Huguenot Wars and the French Revolution .
  • The choir of the Sainte-Radegonde de Bilazais church dates back to the 12th century; the nave was renewed at the beginning of the 18th century.
  • The church of Saint-Martin-les-Baillargeaux near Noizé was also built in the 12th century; it is classified as a monument historique .
  • A megalithic dolmen in the La Pierre à Pineau district is also recognized as a monument historique .

  • Castle facade

  • Saint-Maurice Collegiate Church

  • One of the gisants in the collegiate church

  • Stained glass window in the collegiate church

  • Ruin of the "Grand'maison" in Leugny

  • Sainte-Radegonde church in Bilazais

  • Saint-Martin-les-Baillargeaux church in Noizé

Web links

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