Ruffec (Charente)

Ruffec ; Ruféc
region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente
Arrondissement	Confolens
Canton	Charente North
Community association	Val de Charente
Coordinates	46 ° 2 ′ N , 0 ° 12 ′ E Coordinates: 46 ° 2 ′ N , 0 ° 12 ′ E
height	83-145 m
surface	13.37 km 2
Residents	3,410 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	255 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	16700
INSEE code	16292
Website	Ruffec
	; Church Saint-André

Ruffec ( Occitan : Ruféc ) is a western French town and commune with 3,410 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine . The surrounding landscape is called Ruffécois .

location

The small town of Ruffec is located on the river Péruse just before it flows into the Charente at an altitude of about 100 m above sea level. d. M. in the old cultural landscape of the Angoumois , part of the Charente (landscape) . The distance to Angoulême is about 49 km (driving distance) in a southerly direction; the city of Poitiers is around 70 km north. The climate shaped by the Atlantic is mild; Rain falls throughout the year.

Population development

year	1800	1851	1901	1954	1999	2013
Residents	2.110	3,654	3,474	3,724	3,630	3,489

Despite the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the increasing mechanization of agriculture , the number of inhabitants has remained largely stable since the middle of the 19th century.

economy

In earlier centuries the inhabitants lived on the produce of their fields and gardens as self-sufficient ; In the surrounding area, cattle breeding was also practiced on a small scale. Craftsmen, merchants and smaller service companies settled in the village, and they still play the largest role in the economic life of the place today. Viticulture has been promoted in the Charente since the end of the Middle Ages, but it largely came to a standstill after the phylloxera crisis and never reached its previous level.

history

In the Ruffécois there are several Neolithic megalithic buildings - including the dolmens of Pérotte and La Jacquille near Fontenille and the necropolis of Boixe near Vervant .

The first mention of the place name Rolfiacus comes from the year 980; Already at that time Ruffec was a viguerie . In the 11th century the place, which was formerly part of the Poitou, became part of the county of Angoulême ; later the vice-county of Ruffécois arose. Ruffec remained connected to the diocese of Poitiers through the Abbey of Nanteuil . In the High Middle Ages, a castle ( château ) was built on a hill outside the village, which in turn was surrounded by a city wall ( remparts ) - but none of the fortifications has survived. At the end of the 16th century, the region was raised to the rank of margraviate ( marquisat ).

Attractions

Church Saint-André

The former priory and today's parish church of Saint-André dates from the 2nd half of the 12th century; In the 15th century, the originally possibly only single-nave building was extended by two side aisles and provided with a rib vault in its entirety . The facade impresses with a portal zone in the Charentes style with a triumphal arch scheme . The level above it is as blind arcades Zone (probably with adjusted figures Acts ) designed their views of the the tympanum to be seen Assumption scene is directed. The interior has three aisles with a flat-closing apse , which is lit through a window in the late Gothic flamboyant style . On the south side of the church there is a small portal, which leads from the former enclosure area directly into the choir and was formerly reserved for the monks of the priory. Church construction has been recognized as a monument historique since 1903 .
The ruins of the Chapelle Saint-Blaise in the former suburb of Pontereau have been classified as a Monument historique since 1973 .
The two-story castle ( Château de Ruffec ), built in the 16th century, is a rather inconspicuous building with a battlement on the back; it is privately owned.