Archiac
Archiac (French pronunciation: [aʁʃjak]) is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.
Archiac | |
|---|---|
 Archiac Town Centre | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Archiac | |
  Archiac  Archiac | |
| Coordinates: 45°31′21″N 0°18′20″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Charente-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Jonzac |
| Canton | Jonzac |
| Intercommunality | Haute-Saintonge |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Maurice Gonzalez[1] |
| Area 1 | 4.48 km2 (1.73 sq mi) |
| Population | 775 |
| • Density | 170/km2 (450/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 17016 /17520 |
| Elevation | 48–116 m (157–381 ft) (avg. 111 m or 364 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Archiacais or Archiacaises.[3]
Geography
Archiac is located in the south of the department of Charente Maritime in the historic region of Saintonge some 20 km south of Cognac, 15 km north-west of Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire and 15 km north-east of Jonzac. The village has the status of a town and is located at the intersection of two main highways: the D699 from Arthenac in the south-west to Ambleville in the north-east; and the D731 from Cierzac in the north-west which continues south-east from the village. The north-eastern border of the commune is also the border between Charente-Maritime and Charente departments. Other access roads include the D149 which is a short-cut connection between the D699 and the D733 west of the village and the D152 which goes south from the village to Saint-Maigrin. There are also the hamlets of La Grue and Saint-Pierre north-east of the village. Apart from some wooded areas near the village the commune is entirely farmland.[4]
Neighbouring communes and villages
Places adjacent to Archiac | |
|---|---|
History
- In the reign of Charlemagne Archiac was the seat of a viguerie.
- Upon the removal of Emma, the wife of the lord of Cognac, by the lord of Barbezieux in the 11th century, the Lord of Archiac gave them asylum: the castle was attacked, taken, and burnt.[5]
- In 1219 the Lord of Archiac was Guillaume d'Archiac. During the Hundred Years War the castle was taken and retaken then became a den of Anglo-Gascon thieves before being taken and demolished.
- In 1609 the Barony of Archiac was raised to a marquisate.
- It was forbidden for the Protestant ministers Jacques Fountaines and Jean Hoummeau to preach and the temple was demolished in 1673.[5]
Heraldry
Arms of Archiac |
Blazon: Gules, two pales vairé, in chief Or.
|
Administration
List of successive mayors[6]
| From | To | Name | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1995 | Jacques Dusaud | |
| 1995 | 2008 | François Robin | DVD |
| 2008 | 2014 | Carole Blanchard | |
| 2014 | 2020 | Didier Braud | |
| 2020 | 2026 | Maurice Gonzalez |
Demography
In 2017 the commune had 772 inhabitants. Arthenac was part of the Archiac commune until they were separated in 1831;[7] the population data given in the table and graph below for 1821 and earlier include the commune of Arthenac.
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| Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE[8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distribution of age groups
The population of the town is older than the departmental average.
Percentage distribution of age groups in Archiac and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017
| Archiac | Charente-Maritime | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Range | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| 0 to 14 Years | 17.0 | 14.0 | 16.3 | 14.3 |
| 15 to 29 Years | 12.8 | 12.3 | 15.4 | 13.1 |
| 30 to 44 Years | 16.4 | 12.8 | 16.7 | 16.1 |
| 45 to 59 Years | 19.2 | 18.0 | 20.2 | 19.9 |
| 60 to 74 Years | 21.7 | 20.8 | 21.1 | 22.0 |
| 75 to 89 Years | 11.0 | 15.6 | 9.4 | 12.3 |
| 90 Years+ | 1.8 | 6.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
Sites and monuments
- The Parish Church of Saint-Pierre has a fragment of a statue from the Middle Ages depicting a mitred head
which is registered as an historical object.[10] - A dolmen near Lavaure
- A chateau from the 9th century, repaired in the 11th century but now disappeared. It included the chapels of Our Lady and Saint-Martin.
- The House of the Vine and Fragrances[11]
Notable people linked to the commune
- Cardinal Simon d'Archiac (14th century), born in Archiac
References
- "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
- Inhabitants of Charente-Maritime (in French)
- Google Maps
- History of Cognac, Jarnac and Segonzac, Father Cousin, 1882, reprinted 2007, ISBN 2-84618-496-8 (in French)
- List of Mayors of France
- Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Archiac, EHESS (in French).
- Évolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Archiac (17016)
- Évolution et structure de la population en 2017: Département de la Charente-Maritime (17)
- Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM17000628 Statue: Head (in French)
- The House of the Vine and Fragrances website Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
External links
- Archiac on the National Geographic Institute website (in French)
- Archiac on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
- Archiac on the 1750 Cassini Map
