La Rochefoucauld

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La Rochefoucauld
Coat of arms of La Rochefoucauld
La Rochefoucauld (France)
La Rochefoucauld
local community La Rochefoucauld-en-Angoumois
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente
Arrondissement Angoulême
Coordinates 45 ° 44 '  N , 0 ° 23'  E Coordinates: 45 ° 44 '  N , 0 ° 23'  E
Post Code 16110
Former INSEE code 16281
Incorporation 1st January 2019
status Commune déléguée

La Rochefoucauld - Castle and Bridge

La Rochefoucauld is a village and a former French commune with 2,909 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine . It belonged to the Arrondissement of Angoulême and the canton of Val de Tardoire .

With effect from January 1, 2019, the former municipalities of La Rochefoucauld and Saint-Projet-Saint-Constant were merged to form the Commune nouvelle La Rochefoucauld-en-Angoumois and have the status of a Commune déléguée in the new municipality . The administrative headquarters are in La Rochefoucauld.

Location and climate

The town and castle of La Rochefoucauld are located at a height of about 80  m on the Tardoire river in the cultural landscape of the Angoumois , the center of which, the city of Angoulême , is only about 20 km (driving distance) to the south-west. The places worth seeing Cherves-Châtelars and Agris are only a few kilometers north-west and north of La Rochefoucauld; Montbron is about twelve kilometers southeast. The climate is largely shaped by the Atlantic and is accordingly mild to warm; Rain (approx. 870 mm / year) falls over the year.

Population development

year 1800 1851 1901 1954 1999 2016
Residents 2,536 2,845 2,782 3,020 3,228 2,932
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Despite the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the increasing mechanization of agriculture , the population of the former municipality has remained largely stable.

economy

Already in the Middle Ages the place served as a regional trade and handicraft center for the agricultural places in the area; In addition to grain, wine has been cultivated here since Roman or Gallo-Roman times, although it was primarily used for self-sufficiency . Saffron crocuses were planted in the area from the 16th to the 18th centuries . There were a few tanneries by the river , which gradually disappeared in the 19th century - instead , textile companies and paper mills settled near the river. Today, La Rochefoucauld is located on the far eastern edge of the Cognac wine-growing region and belongs to the Bons Bois . There is an industrial park outside the town; Small trades (bakers, butchers, etc.) and retailers (textiles, household goods, etc.) dominate in the town itself.

history

The rock (roche) on the western bank of the Tardoire , on which the first castle was built in the 10th century, gave the place the original name La Roche; the first name of the first known family member of the Lords of La Roche , Foucauld I (approx. 978-1047), was added to the place name later. Three districts (Bourg-Budeau, Saint-Florent and the quarter around the collegiate church that emerged in the 14th century ) were united in 1310 under Guy VII of La Rochefoucauld to form today's town.

Attractions

Saint-Cybard Church
  • The four-arched bridge over the Tardoire dates back to the 15th century and connects the castle and the town on the east bank of the river. It was added to the list of historical monuments in 1935 .
  • The Gothic collegiate church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption-et-Saint-Cybard was built from the 13th to the 19th century. The tower and the late Gothic rose window in the flamboyant style were completed in the 14th century. The single nave interior is spanned by a ribbed vault; the large, five-lane late Gothic window of the flat choir closure also deserves attention. In the religious disputes between Catholics and Protestants in the second half of the 16th century, the church building was partially destroyed so that it had to be restored between 1588 and 1620. During the time of the French Revolution , parts of the furnishings (choir stalls, pictures, cult implements) were destroyed and the church briefly (1794) served the cult of the highest being . Only the between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII. Closed Concordat of 1801 provided the freedom of worship in France restores. The houses of the canons are grouped around the church - often directly attached to it. The church building was recognized as a monument historique in 1909 .
Carmelite Convention
  • The Order of the Carmelites settled in La Rochefoucauld as early as 1329. Today's convent building ( Couvent des Carmes ) and the church were built in the 14th and 15th centuries - that is, in the late Gothic period ; the slender octagonal stair tower probably followed at the beginning of the 16th century. The buildings suffered badly in the religious turmoil of the 16th century and were not revived until the beginning of the 17th century. The church occupies the south side of the cloister; in the years 1883 to 1886 the east and west wings were renewed. The north wing, built on older foundations, indicates that an older building must have stood here before the order was founded. The monastery buildings were also recognized as Monument historique in 1909 ; the church followed in 2001.
  • In the town itself are still several interesting historical buildings - including the former hospital chapel (. 17C), the Corn Exchange (Halle aux grains) from the 19th century, a half-timbered house (16th c.) And the rafters of the market hall (17. . and 20th century).

  • Chapel of the former hospital

  • Former grain hall

  • Half-timbered house

  • Market hall

Olérat Church
Surroundings
  • The Romanesque church of Saint-Étienne von Olérat (Église d'Olérat) is about 1 km south of the center of La Rochefoucauld and is privately owned. Interesting and unusual are the largely unadorned west facade of the church with an Agnus Dei in the middle diamond-shaped mandorla and the two extremely twisted accompanying figures - framed by beautifully profiled semicircular arches - (winged bull = evangelist Luke and winged lion = evangelist Markus ); the other two evangelists (angel = evangelist Matthew and eagle = evangelist John ) are in two smaller relief fields above. The facade was recognized as a monument historique in 1942 .

Personalities

literature

  • Thorsten Droste : Poitou. Western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-77014456-2 , pp. 251-252.

Web links

Commons : La Rochefoucauld (Charente)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Decree of the Prefecture No. 16-2018-09-28-007 on the formation of the Commune nouvelle La Rochefoucauld-en-Angoumois of September 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ La Rochefoucauld - climate tables
  3. ^ Pont du Château, La Rochefoucauld in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  4. ↑ Collégiale Saint-Cybard, La Rochefoucauld in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  5. ^ Couvent des Carmes, La Rochefoucauld in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  6. ↑ Église d'Olérat, La Rochefoucauld in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)