Arces | |
|---|---|
 Acanthus in Arces | |
 Location of Arces | |
  Arces  Arces | |
| Coordinates:45°33′14″N0°51′30″W / 45.5539°N 0.8583°W /45.5539; -0.8583 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Charente-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Saintes |
| Canton | Saintonge Estuaire |
| Intercommunality | CA Royan Atlantique |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Joëlle Boulon[1] |
Area 1 | 21.74 km2 (8.39 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 715 |
| • Density | 32.9/km2 (85.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 17015 /17120 |
| Elevation | 0–55 m (0–180 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Arces (French pronunciation:[aʁs]), commonly identified under the nameArces-sur-Gironde, is acommune in theCharente-Maritimedepartment in southwesternFrance.[3]
The small village is situated on the fringes of thecôte de Beauté, closely connected with the nearby capital of the Royan hinterland canton,Cozes, which hosts the area's largest concentration of businesses and commerce.
The expansion of rural urbanization and the proximity of the commune to local tourist attractions, such as the bastide ofTalmont-sur-Gironde, explains the recent development of the commune, with a population increase of 485 in 1990 to 622 in 2007. The commune is a part of the framework of the Communauté d'agglomération Royan Atlantique, with 72,136 inhabitants.
The village centre, with flowery alleys of roses, is concentrated around a small, prominent knoll with marshes and fields. TheRomanesque Church of Saint Pierre, an ancient fixture on theWay of Saint James, is a dominant feature of the village.
The commune of Arces is situated in the southwest department ofCharente-Maritime, along thecôte de Beauté. A part ofSouthern France, or Le Midi, or more precisely along the mid-Atlantic. The commune belongs to two large geographic, French regions: the Great West (le Grand Ouest) and the Ground Southwest (le Grand Sud-Ouest).
Administratively, the commune belongs to thecanton of Saintonge Estuaire and thearrondissement of Saintes.[3] It is 4.0 kilometres south-west ofCozes, 7.3 kilometres east ofMeschers-sur-Gironde, 12.3 kilometres south-east ofSaint-Georges-de-Didonne, 14.2 kilometres south ofSaujon, 15.3 kilometres south-east ofRoyan, 27.6 kilometres south-west ofSaintes, 44 kilometres south ofRochefort, 71.1 kilometres south ofLa Rochelle, and 82.5 kilometres north ofBordeaux.[4]
The commune is a stop on theGrand Randonnée, specifically GR 360.
Access to the commune is by the D114 road fromCozes in the north-east which passes through the commune and the village and continues toBarzan in the south. The D244 fromSemussac in the north-west also passes through the village and continues toÉpargnes in the south-east. The D114E9 also passes from the village south-west to Talmont-sur-Gironde. The D145 also passes through the commune near the coast. The commune is mostly farmland with small areas of forest.[5]
The population is generally centred around the town. The main hamlets are Liboulas, Brézillas, and Maine-Moutard. It is spread along the D244, which is also called the Route de l'Estuaire (Estuary Road). In the south of the commune, in the middle of marshlands, is a place called les Mottes Gachins.
Places adjacent to Arces | |
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In the west of the commune are the Barrails marshes which are dotted with many channels flowing to the Gironde estuary. The main ones are the Ruisseau de Bardécille, which marks the border with Semussac commune, and in the east the Desir, a stream which crosses the Lorivaux area.
Most of the commune is located on a rolling plateau formed of layers oflimestone dating from theCretaceous period. To the west the marsh consists of much more recent alluvium.
Part of the commune consists of a succession of hills overlooking theGironde estuary, which dominate a vast prairie wetland that extends west toTalmont-sur-Gironde andMeschers-sur-Gironde.
The northwest of the commune retains some traces of the original forest that stretched to Chenac inGallo-Roman times. These meagre woodlands lie north of the hamlet of Maine-Moutard and around the hamlet of Breuil.
The town itself is located at the foot of a limestone hill which supports the Romanesque church.
The village takes its name from theLatinArcis, which means a promontory or a fortified place. In 1170 it was shown under the nameVilla de Arcis in thecartulary of Vaux, before becomingArx during part of theMiddle Ages.
Although remains of cut and polished flint have been found in the commune which attest to human occupation from theNeolithic period, the village seems to have been founded in Roman times. It seems that the promontory overlooking the village was the location of a Roman camp (of which no trace has been found) situated on a Roman road which linked theSantones capital of Mediolanum Santonum (Saintes) to the port of Novioregum (Barzan), a few kilometres to the east. Only traces of this period, such as the remains of pottery,terra cotta, andamphoras, have been found in the surrounding fields.
In the 11th century Arces was a small village with a church dedicated to Saint Martin.
Between 1083 and 1091 Arnaud de Gammon from the House ofMortagne founded the Abbey of Vaux which gave him all the rights and privileges of the parish of Arces. The monks installed twopriories in Arces: one near the church of Saint Martin and the second in the hamlet of Loriveau. Of the latter there remains a bridge built over the Désir stream. During this period the economy was based on cereals, grapes, the salt marshes along the Gironde, and timber. Arces became a stage on theWay of Saint James toSantiago de Compostela, as many pilgrims went toTalmont-sur-Gironde to cross theGironde.
In 1151 Benoît de Mortagne invaded the village and attempted to monopolize the land and privileges of the priory of Saint-Martin. Threatened with excommunication, he was forced to retire and promise to respect the rights of the abbot. The parish depended for a long time two-thirds on the Barony of Cozes and the remaining third on the Lordship of Talmont.[6] Conflicts between the lords and the villagers seem to have been commonplace.
In 1661 Mademoiselle d'Orleans, purchaser of the Barony of Cozes, required newCorvées or unpaid labour from the residents but was dismissed by the Parliament of Bordeaux. Several noble houses seem to have existed under the old regime: the Logis du Breuil, the Chateau of Theon, and that of Conteneuil are still visible.
In the 17th century the Dame de Theon became famous for her hatred of theCalvinists who she persecuted. This hatred was so strong than her lordship was besieged by the troops ofBenjamin de Rohan, Duke of Soubise, one of the principal leaders of the Protestants, and whose brother was killed during theSiege of Royan (1622 or 1624). She seized the possessions and demolished the houses of Protestants who, reduced to poverty, went to bring the matter before the Duchess of La Trémoille.[6] Having the right of justice, she condemned to death between 140 and 160 Protestants, some beingbroken on the wheel and the others hanged.[7] After the Revolution the parish was converted into a commune.
The population in 1790 reached 1129 inhabitants but therural exodus quickly brought the number to about 474 at the end of the Second World War. Since then the population grew to 561 inhabitants in 1999. The village is now involved in agricultural activities and promotinggreen tourism.
 |
List of successive mayors[8]
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1989 | Michel Petit |
| 2001 | 2014 | Yves Pérochain |
| 2014 | 2020 | Jean-Paul Roy |
| 2020 | 2026 | Joëlle Boulon |
Its residents are referred to asArcillons orArcillonnes in French.[9]
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The population of the commune is younger than the departmental average.
Percentage distribution of age groups in Arces and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017
| Arces | Charente-Maritime | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Range | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| 0 to 14 Years | 20.6 | 15.1 | 16.3 | 14.3 |
| 15 to 29 Years | 12.5 | 13.6 | 15.4 | 13.1 |
| 30 to 44 Years | 21.9 | 20.3 | 16.7 | 16.1 |
| 45 to 59 Years | 20.4 | 23.5 | 20.2 | 19.9 |
| 60 to 74 Years | 18.1 | 17.7 | 21.1 | 22.0 |
| 75 to 89 Years | 6.5 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 12.3 |
| 90 Years+ | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
The town is in the heart of a particularly interesting labour pool for employment in the Royan area (resulting from the partition of the former maritime employment area of Saintonge which included many communes in the Rochefort, Marennes-Oléron, and Royan areas[13]), consisting of 27,753 workers in 2008[14] The Royan employment zone is, together with that ofLa Rochelle, the most dynamic in thePoitou-Charentes region with both enjoying "an economic base and a dynamic demography" (INSEE).[14] Growth is particularly strong due to the development of tertiary sector activities.
The economy of the commune is mainly based on agriculture (cultivation ofcereals, vines, and livestock) which occupies about 2/3 of the active population. Tourism, which the municipality seeks to develop, complements the resources of the commune. The village has public services and some shops: a bakery, a caterer, and a hairdresser are located in the centre of town. Three campsites are located in the commune as well as two hotel rooms and one summer and winter rental accommodation.
The Chateau of Theon dates from the 15th century and was the seat of a lordship whose boundaries once stretched as far as the territory of the present commune ofCozes. It is located at the northern extremity of the commune. In 1458 the lordship belonged to Jean du Breuil. In 1790 a descendant,'Anne-Marie du Breuil, brought her husband, Louis de Rigaud de Vaudreuil.
There are traces of a tunnel that connected the Chateau of Theon to Meschers passing through Arces.
During theFrench Revolution, the owner was burned in the fireplace of the salon.[citation needed]
One of the few covered wells in Charente-Maritime is visible in the courtyard of the castle.
The Church of Saint Pierre (12th century)
is registered as an historical monument.[15] The church seems to date back at least to the 11th century. In 1086 it was given to the Abbey Saint-Étienne de Vaux. It was rebuilt in the 12th century. The three-sidedapse, inRomanesque style, dates to that period and is the only vestige of the original building which was considerably altered during its history. Significant work took place from 1670 which altered the structure of thenave. The façade was built in 1703. It consists of a door with a broken triangularpediment topped with a rectangular bay window and framed by two massivebuttresses.
Thesanctuary consists of a nave with only twobays intersected by atransept extended by twoGothic stately chapels which replaced the Romanesque apses in the 14th century. The octagonal bell tower, surmounted by a slate spire, stands at thecrossing of the transept. The decoration of the apse was completely redesigned in the 19th century: the frescoes, murals, and the painted sky on the ceiling date to this period.
The stained glass windows and statuary adorning the building also date from the same period. Theretable, which is in thechoir, was restored in 1994.
Located on a promontory overlooking the village, the church has a panoramic view of the hills, the Gironde estuary, and the coastline of theMédoc. It contains achalice withpaten (18th century)
which are registered as an historical object.[16]
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