Chazelles (Charente)

Chazelles is a southwestern French village with 1488 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Charente in the Poitou -Charentes.

Location

Chazelles located about 90 meters above sea level. inst; the small river Bandiat - or a side channel - flow through the town, which lies about 21 km ( driving distance ) east of Angoulême and about 11 kilometers south of La Rochefoucauld. The northern neighboring towns Pranzac, Bunzac and Rancogne are also worth seeing.

Demographics

In the first census in France in 1793, the city had 810 inhabitants; in the 19th century - after the incorporation of the suburb Saint- Paul ( 1845) - the number fluctuated 1100-1200.

Economy

In addition to agriculture, wine growing, which served for centuries of self-sufficiency of the population, limestone quarries were one of the main sources of income of the place - so the houses and churches in the area were built since the Middle Ages from this material and also the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York comes from the local quarries, most of which are no longer in operation, however, because artificial stones have become significantly cheaper. There are also jobs in a sawmill and the usual small craft ( bakers, butchers, etc.).

History

Little is known about the history of Chazelles, but already in the Bronze Age some of the karst caves were inhabited in the area or have been used as a cult or burial sites; one discovered in the Grotte de Queroy ceramic bowl with incised characters and human figures located in the Musée d' Angoulême. In the Middle Ages Chazelles and Saint Paul were colonized; the inhabitants of both places built one small parish church.

Attractions

• The high central tower of the Romanesque parish church of Saint -Paul dominates the silhouette of lying in a hollow place. In the 16th or 17th century it was - because of roving predatory gangs - converted into a unadorned fortified church, which offered the inhabitants of the village in crisis situations protection: In the West it was mighty buttresses to reinforce the original - not very stable - Dry stone masonry; at the same time the crossing tower was brought to its present height and with a - provided security and defense platform - formerly not covered. Inside, the nave of the original church building is clearly visible; the north aisle is a later addition. The nave is vaulted, but covered with an open roof. The bare, steinsichtigen walls give the interior of the church a pristine impression; very harmonious and the vaulted apse is expressed with three narrow and formerly well -glazed windows. The church building was recognized in 1977 as a monument historique; a certificate from the 1552 bronze bell was already registered in 1942 in the inventory list.
• The church of Saint -Martin also dates from the 12th century. About 100 years later, she received a built in Gothic style bell storey on the crossing tower. In the 19th century the nave was extended westwards and renewed the entire facade, on the southern side, a beautiful Gothic stone sarcophagus is exhibited. As part of this construction, the nave was vaulted and the former may semicircular apse replaced by a flat choir circuit.