Chermignac

Chermignac is a municipality in western France with 1271 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) and belongs to the department of Charente -Maritime in the Poitou -Charentes.

Location

The town is located southwest of Saintes and about 35 kilometers west of Cognac in Saintonge about eight km ( driving distance ). The neighboring municipalities Rioux and Rétaud with their impressive Prioratskirchen are only about seven kilometers west or southwest.

Demographics

Economy

For the surrounding rural communities Chermignac was in the Middle Ages as the central market and the artisan village of importance. Agriculture and viticulture are also indispensable in the economic life of the village: Chermignac is on the western edge of the Fins Bois Cognac of the wine region. Since the 1970s and 1980s, tourism has been added ( Rentals ) as a source of income.

History

In the area around Chermignac small finds were made from prehistoric times. In ancient times, the place was near a Roman road. In the Middle Ages in the area resulted in several Prioratskirchen - whether the Church of Chermignac belonged or was designed from the outset as elaborate parish church, is not known. Mid to late 19th century, during the phylloxera crisis, Adolphe Ménudier made ​​on his estate at Chermignac experiments with the grafting of traditional European Weinschösslingen on phylloxera- resistant American rootstocks.

Attractions

• The single late Romanesque church of Saint -Quentin comes in substantial part from the late 11th century; However, the building was changed again and again over the following centuries. The laterally attached to the north side of the church - the bottom square, octagonal top - bell tower with its eight sound holes being fitted with Gothic tracery is accompanied by a smaller stair tower and probably dates from the 14th century. The almost windowless outwardly acting masonry with its powerful - certainly later added - buttresses gives the building the appearance of a fortified church - an impression that is reinforced by the absence of the semicircle of the apse. In the arc runs ( Archivolts ) of the West Portal, there are next to vines also purely ornamental and even some figurative representations - including various hybrids ( chimeras ) but also a clothed with a leather apron blacksmith, hammer and tongs in the hands holding, can be seen. The nave was provided in the 15th century with a ribbed vault; four impressive Romanesque Konsolfiguren (lovers, thinkers, acrobat and Hornblower ) have - hidden in the baptistery - retained. The church has since 1906 listed building and is registered as a monument historique.

• On the north side of the church was then located on the - later moved to the outskirts of the village - the cemetery. Here an articulated by several horizontal cornices Hosanna - cross ( croix hosannière ) was built in the 15th century, which is characterized by its varied and upwards several times slightly tapered shank design with an octagonal base, round base and two - accompanied by Eckdiensten - square tops differs from most of its kind. Approximately level with the middle of the shaft, there are four niches crowned with canopies; the former probably attached there characters are not preserved. Also unusual is the patch Latin cross, run the three upper arms pointed and are decorated with late Gothic tracery. The Hosanna - cross of Chermignac was also recognized in 1906 as a monument historique.