Virollet
| Virollet | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Charente-Maritime | |
| Arrondissement | Saintes | |
| Canton | Saintonge Estuaire | |
| Community association | Gémozac et la Saintonge Viticole | |
| Coordinates | 45 ° 33 ′ N , 0 ° 43 ′ W | |
| height | 17-46 m | |
| surface | 10.01 km 2 | |
| Residents | 275 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 27 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 17260 | |
| INSEE code | 17479 | |
 Virollet - group of figures in front of the town hall |
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Virollet is a western commune with 275 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .
location
Virollet is located near the Seudre river in the old cultural landscape of the Saintonge, about 26 kilometers (driving distance) south of Saintes and about 17 kilometers west of Pons . The main town of the association of municipalities, Gémozac , is just under five kilometers northeast.
Population development
| year | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
| Residents | 277 | 255 | 238 | 243 | 238 | 256 | 262 |
From the first census in France in 1793 until the time before the First World War, the number of inhabitants was always between 400 and 500. The mechanization of agriculture then ensured a steady decline.
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 sandy soils of the municipality belong to the Bons Bois cultivation area of the Cognac wine-growing area , but cereals (wheat, maize) are also grown on some arable land. Since the 1980s, tourism (rental of holiday apartments) has been added as a source of income.
history
Little is known about the history of Virollet. Possibly the place developed in connection with the Cistercian monastery Madion, which was in the immediate vicinity and was destroyed twice during the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) and the French Revolution .
Attractions
- The parish church of Saint-Etienne differs in its simplicity from the other churches in the area: It is an extremely simple - and therefore difficult to date - construction from the Middle Ages with a bell gable above the former west facade. The church, which is only around 15 meters long, was later given a 4.50 meter long, but otherwise equally dimensioned porch, which may have served as a baptistery . The nave is made of largely unworked rubble stones and both inside and outside there are no buttresses - only the corner stones are carved; The area of the flat, closed apse with two small windows is not raised or set off in any other way compared to the church interior and connects seamlessly to the nave. The open roof structure underlines the uniformity of the church space. The church is one of the few surviving examples of simple village churches that have stood the test of time.
- On the small square in front of the town hall ( mairie ) there is a group of figures made of synthetic resin, which depicts a wine press scene as it was to be seen in many places in Europe until the 20th century.
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 1, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , p. 273.
