Ronsenac

Ronsenac
region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente
Arrondissement	Angoulême
Canton	Tude-et-Lavalette
Community association	Lavalette Tude Dronne
Coordinates	45 ° 29 ′  N , 0 ° 15 ′  E Coordinates: 45 ° 29 ′  N , 0 ° 15 ′  E
height	80-204 m
surface	26.73 km 2
Residents	571 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	21 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	16320
INSEE code	16283
Ronsenac - priory and church

Ronsenac is a western French community with 571 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .

location

Ronsenac is about 24 kilometers (driving distance) southeast of Angoulême in the border region to the Périgord near the river Tude at an altitude of about 100 meters above sea level. d. M. The canton capital Villebois-Lavalette is only about three kilometers to the east.

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2016
Residents	534	506	470	515	526	548	548	572

Until 1876 the community always had well over 1000 inhabitants; As a result of the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the mechanization of agriculture , the number of inhabitants then fell continuously to the lows of the 1960s and 1970s.

economy

For centuries, the inhabitants of the community lived from agriculture; Although the soils of the municipality belong to the Bons Bois of the Cognac wine-growing region , sales of expensive brandies have tended to decline in recent decades, so that viticulture no longer plays an important role. Income from retail and handicrafts as well as from administration and tourism, in particular the rental of holiday homes ( gîtes ), have played a not insignificant role for the income of the municipal treasury since the 1960s.

history

The partially collapsed, but still imposing megalithic tomb ( dolmen ) Dolmen de chez Vinaigre is about 6000 years old. In ancient times, the place was on a Roman road - called Chemin Boisné - that connected Saintes ( Mediolanum Santonum ) with Périgueux ( Vesunna ). A Gallo-Roman estate ( villa rustica ) and some Merovingian sarcophagi have been discovered on the territory of the municipality.

Attractions

Former priory church

• The foundation of a priory and the associated Saint Jean-Baptiste church dates back to around 1100, when the Bishop of Périgueux transferred the parish of the village, including the old church, to Abbot Hugo von Cluny . Soon the construction of the priory building and the priory church began . However, the area remained on its own during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and the Huguenot Wars (1562-1598) and so the ties to the mother monastery were broken. In 1684 the priory was given to English Benedictine monks who had fled their homeland . During the French Revolution , the priory buildings were sold as a national property ( Bien national ); However, they were largely preserved and were used as a coach house for decades. The current parish church was largely renewed in the late 19th century. The priory building and church have been recognized as monuments historiques since 1993 and 2009, respectively .

• Attractions
• 

  Chapter House

• 

  Enclosure

• 

  Monk portal

• 

  Dolmen de chez Vinaigre

• 

  Logis de Bernac

• The Logis de Bernac is an estate located outside the village with an associated water mill. Some late medieval parts of the building have been preserved - including a round tower.

Web links

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

• Ronsenac, sights - photo + short information (French)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Priory, Ronsenac in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
2. ↑ Église, Ronsenac in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)