Aulnay | |
|---|---|
 Town hall and war memorial | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Aulnay | |
  Aulnay  Aulnay | |
| Coordinates:46°01′18″N0°20′44″W / 46.0217°N 0.3455°W /46.0217; -0.3455 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Charente-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Jean-d'Angély |
| Canton | Matha |
| Intercommunality | CC Vals Saintonge |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Stéphane Chedouteaud[1] |
Area 1 | 30.97 km2 (11.96 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 1,410 |
| • Density | 45.5/km2 (118/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Aulnaysien.ne |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 17024 /17470 |
| Elevation | 32–107 m (105–351 ft) (avg. 54 m or 177 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Aulnay, commonly referred to asAulnay-de-Saintonge (French pronunciation:[onɛdəsɛ̃tɔ̃ʒ]), is acommune inCharente-Maritime, adepartment in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (before 2015:Poitou-Charentes), France.
Aulnay is located on theVia Turonensis. one of theWays of St. James some 45 km east by south-east ofSurgères and 17 km north-east ofSaint-Jean-d'Angély.
The commune invoices the village of La Cressoniere west of the town, Pinsenelle north-west of the town, and Salles-lès-Aulnay east of the town. Apart from the urban area of the town the commune is entirely farmland.[3]
TheBrédoire river flows through the commune and the town from east to west to join theBoutonne atNuaillé-sur-Boutonne. Although a small river theBrédoire flooded the town in December 1982. ThePalud flows through the north of the commune from the east to join theBrédoire at La Cressoniere. TheSaudrenne flows from the east in the south of the commune forming part of the southern border before continuing to join theBoutonne atSaint-Pardoult.[3]
Formerly calledAunedonnacum in the itinerary ofAntoninus Pius andAuedonnaco in theTabula Peutingeriana.[citation needed]
As the capital of a fiscal jurisdiction Aulnay was already the seat of a lordship in 925, as evidenced by the donation made byCadelon I to several abbeys. The Viscounts of Aulnay (or Viscounts of Aunay) were descendants of other noble families inPoitou andSaintonge and lived in a castle which was demolished in 1818 but whose tower still remains.[4][5]
A common name for Aulnay is Aulnay-de-Saintonge but under theAncien Régime Aulnay (often spelled Aunay) did not belong to the province of Saintonge but to the Province of Poitou and theDiocese of Poitiers.
By decree dated 12 December 1973 the commune of Salles-lès-Aulnay merged with the commune of Aulnay.
Aulnay is the capital of the canton of Aulnay-de-Saintonge which has the largest extent in the department of Charente-Maritime.
| Or, a pale the same between four lozenges of Gules posed in pale.[6] |
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List of Successive Mayors[7]
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 1929 | Roger Chapeaud |
| 1933 | 1967 | Roger Chapeaud |
| 1967 | 1989 | Pierre Chapeaud |
| 1989 | 2001 | Bernadette Guillard |
| 2001 | 2014 | Jean-Mary Collin |
| 2014 | 2020 | Charles Bellaud |
| 2020 | 2026 | Stéphane Chedouteaud |
The inhabitants of the commune are known asAulnaysiens orAulnaysiennes in French.[8]
Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: EHESS[9] and INSEE[10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The population of the town is older than the departmental average.
Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Aulnay and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017
| Aulnay | Charente-Maritime | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Range | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| 0 to 14 Years | 13.6 | 12.2 | 16.3 | 14.3 |
| 15 to 29 Years | 11.9 | 8.9 | 15.4 | 13.1 |
| 30 to 44 Years | 11.8 | 11.2 | 16.7 | 16.1 |
| 45 to 59 Years | 20.5 | 22.3 | 20.2 | 19.9 |
| 60 to 74 Years | 27.1 | 25.2 | 21.1 | 22.0 |
| 75 to 89 Years | 13.5 | 16.7 | 9.4 | 12.3 |
| 90 Years+ | 1.5 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
[15][16] One of the finest survivingRomanesque churches. It is also classified as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site. It is unknown why the church was built so far from the town but it may be related to the site of an old cemetery along theRoman road. At the end of the 11th century the building that preceded it belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Cyprien inPoitiers who, around 1045, received part of the burial rights and wax offerings from the church as evidenced by a donation byRanulfe Rabiole. Pierre II,Bishop of Poitiers, around 1100 confirmed the ownership of the church by the monastery andPope Calixtus II followed his example in 1119. In 1135 however, the parish belonged to the Chapter ofPoitiers Cathedral which retained its rights until theFrench Revolution.Papal bulls dated 1149 and 1157 list the Aulnay church in the list of properties ofCanons who were calculating their costs. The church is particularly famous for the early-twelfth-century sculpture on its south and west doorways; it is among the most often discussed examples of this form of Romanesque art.[17] Numerous oriental influences can be seen in its designs. For example, the first arc of one doorway is said to be inspired by Oriental designs.[18] Designs of elephants also originate from Oriental designs.[19] The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
[23] The Church contains one item that is registered as an historical object:
[24]
Football is the main sport of the commune with a regional club which in 1976 was the winner of the Challenge Central-West.[25]
Sculpted in relief, the first arch on the portal of Aulnay-de-Saintonge is covered with griffons and centaurs of Eastern inspiration
Media related toAulnay, Charente-Maritime at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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