Archiac

Archiac is a French commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.

Archiac
Commune
Archiac Town Centre
Coat of arms
Location of Archiac
Archiac
Archiac
Coordinates: 45°31′21″N 0°18′20″W
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentCharente-Maritime
ArrondissementJonzac
CantonJonzac
IntercommunalityHaute-Saintonge
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Didier Braud
Area
1
4.48 km2 (1.73 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
772
 • Density170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
17016 /17520
Elevation48–116 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.[2]

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.[3]

Neighbouring communes and villages

[3]

History
Remains of the castle
  • 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.[4]
  • 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.[4]

Heraldry
Arms of Archiac
 Blazon:

Gules, two pales vairé, in chief Or.

Administration

List of successive mayors[5]

FromToNamePartyPosition
19891995Jacques Dusaud
19952008François RobinDVD
20082014Carole Blanchard
20142020Didier Braud

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2009 the commune had 812 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.[Note 1]

Population change (See database)
1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
1,427 1,533 1,558 1,691 925 965 1,002 1,066 1,124
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
1,148 1,263 1,227 1,172 1,178 1,110 1,097 974 927
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
855 874 802 728 805 793 779 750 737
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2009 -
813 856 890 868 837 864 823 812 -

Arthenac was part of the Archiac commune until they were separated in 1831.[6]

Population of Archiac

Distribution of age groups

The population of the town is relatively old. The ratio of persons above age 60 (32.4%) is higher than the national average (21.6%) and the departmental average (28.1%). As for the national and departmental levels, the female population of the commune is higher than the male population. The ratio (53.2%) is higher than the national ratio (51.6%).

Percentage distribution of age groups in Archiac and Charente-Maritime Department in 2009

ArchiacArchiacCharente-MCharente-M
Age rangeMenWomenMenWomen
0 to 14 years15.814.417.215.1
15 to 29 years15.516.016.514.4
30 to 44 years17.416.018.717.9
45 to 59 years20.819.721.020.8
60 to 74 years16.813.917.217.8
75 to 89 years12.916.49.012.4
90 years+0.83.70.51.5

[7][8]

Sites and monuments
General view of the church of Saint-Pierre
  • 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.[9]
  • 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[10]

Notable people linked to the commune
  • Cardinal Simon d'Archiac (14th century), born in Archiac

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by Law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" allows, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For communes with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these communes is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Inhabitants of Charente-Maritime (in French)
  3. Google Maps
  4. History of Cognac, Jarnac and Segonzac, Father Cousin, 1882, reprinted 2007, ISBN 2-84618-496-8 (in French)
  5. List of Mayors of France
  6. Communal Notice Ldh/EHESS/Casini
  7. Evolution and Structure of the population of the Commune in 2009 Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, INSEE
  8. Evolution and Structure of the population of the Department in 2009 Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine, INSEE
  9. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM17000628 Statue: Head (in French)
  10. The House of the Vine and Fragrances website Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
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