Saint-André-de-Lidon

Saint-André-de-Lidon
region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement	Saintes
Canton	Saintonge Estuaire
Community association	Gémozac et la Saintonge Viticole
Coordinates	45 ° 36 ′ N , 0 ° 45 ′ W Coordinates: 45 ° 36 ′ N , 0 ° 45 ′ W
height	15-51 m
surface	23.83 km 2
Residents	1,105 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	46 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	17260
INSEE code	17310
	; Church Saint-André

Saint-André-de-Lidon is a western commune with 1,105 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .

location

Saint-André-de-Lidon is located on the upper reaches of the Seudre in the old cultural landscape of the Saintonge about 20 kilometers (driving distance) southwest of Saintes and about 19.5 kilometers west of Pons . The main town of the community association, Gémozac , is about ten kilometers south-east.

Population development

year	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2016
Residents	773	789	795	810	846	888	1104

In the 19th century the population was always well over 1,000; after that, the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the mechanization of agriculture caused a steady decline. Due to the relative proximity to the cities of Saintes and Pons and the comparatively low rental and land prices, the population of Saint-André has increased slightly again in recent years.

economy

Agriculture and viticulture have determined the economic life of the place for centuries, which also functioned as a craft, service and trading center for the small villages and farmsteads in the surrounding area. The soils of the municipality belong to the cultivation area of the Fins Bois of the Cognac wine-growing region , but cereals (wheat, maize) are also grown on many arable land. Since the 1980s, tourism (rental of holiday apartments) has been added as a source of income.

history

Little information is available on the history of Saint-André. The Romanesque chapel, the remains of what was once a much larger church, suggests that the place already existed in the Middle Ages. The manorial power was in the hands of the Priory of Saint-Eutrope in Saintes . Whether the place was already affected in the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) is not known, but during the Huguenot Wars (1562-1598) the church of the place was largely destroyed.

Attractions

Church Saint-André

The parish church of Saint-André is a 12th century building that belonged to the Priory of Saint-Eutrope in Saintes. During the wars of religion in the second half of the 16th century, however, the church building was almost completely destroyed - only the southern side chapel, in which there is also a medieval crypt with primitive head capitals, was preserved. In the 17th century, a largely unadorned and rather inconspicuous-looking new building was built on the north side of the chapel, and the old chapel was given a small bell gable . Church construction has been recognized as a monument historique since 1943 .
The Jardin botanique de Deau is a flower paradise with over 20 varieties of roses alone; but there is also a vegetable and herb garden as well as an orchard on the site.
A museum ( Musée d'Hier et d'Avant Hier ) is dedicated to the regional history of the place and the entire Saintonge.

Personalities

Paul-Marie Tonnellier (1886–1977) was the parish priest of Saint-André-de-Lidon for over 51 years. His extensive studies of the Romanesque churches of the Saintonge also attracted attention from specialist circles. He also wrote a work on local history, which was printed at the community's expense in 1988; a copy is on display in the town hall.

literature

Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 1, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 259-261.

Web links

Commons : Saint-André-de-Lidon - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Église Saint-André, Saint-André-de-Lidon in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)

[1] Église Saint-André, Saint-André-de-Lidon in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)