Verrières, Charente

Verrières is a southwestern French village with 352 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Charente in the Poitou -Charentes.

Location

Verrières lies at about 62 meters above sea level.. inst About 17 km ( driving distance ) to the northwest separate the city from the town of Cognac; Segonzac, the capital of Canton is only about 7.5 kilometers to the northeast. The remarkable neighboring Gensac la Pallue is about 11.5 kilometers north.

Demographics

In the first census in France in 1793, the city had 698 inhabitants; In the 19th century, it was up to the beginning of the phylloxera crisis (approx. 1865-1885 ), with a marked decline in the population had in almost all wine-growing regions of France result, for many years well over 800

Economy

The agriculture and especially the wine played in the villages of the Charente always been an important role. While cereals and oilseeds (sunflower ) were mainly cultivated for its own needs, you could earn with the wine (and later brandy ) export to England, Scotland and other northern European countries good money, however with the wine growers of the lower part had to be satisfied merit. Today, the south bank of the Charente heard at Verrières to the layers Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne within the large -growing region of Cognac wines.

History

Prehistoric and Roman remains have been discovered on the territory of the municipality. Perhaps already in Gallo- Roman times, but certainly in the Middle Ages the site was inhabited, as evidenced built in the 12th century church of Saint-Palais.

Attractions

• The church of Saint -Palais seems at first glance quite bulky; yet the building is classified as a monument historique since 1986. The Romanesque church building with a - in the south of France rarely encountered - crypt of the 12th century was in the 14th century a Gothic choir, which is delimited by a free-standing pediment of the apse in the exterior; in the Huguenot wars (1562-1598), the church was destroyed in parts and rebuilt in the 17th century. From this time the baroque west portal comes with a blown-up gable: The west tower is designed as jewelry and windowless tower; the bell storey has four sound holes. Several items of equipment are also under monument protection.
• On the former cemetery on the south side of the church there is a rather simple Hosanna Cross. It has a round, multiple abgetrepptes pedestal, a square tapered base and an octagonal shaft with a Greek cross as an attachment. The cross is recognized as a monument historique since 1986.
• A today blumenbepflanzter village fountain recalls the time when many places in France had no tap water supply; this has been installed in many parts of southern France until the early 20th century, but even after that many villagers went out of habit, for reasons of cost or of mistrust continues to the village fountain.
• In the surroundings of the place are several farms ( fermes ), mills, etc. from the 18th and 19th centuries, which are also of historical significance.