Gardes-le-Pontaroux

Gardes- le- Pontaroux ( Occitan: Garda) is a municipality with 268 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the south of the western French département Charente in the Poitou-Charentes region near the border of the Périgord.

Location

Gardes- le- Pontaroux lies at an altitude of about 120 meters above sea level. inst about 26 km ( driving distance ) south-east of Angoulême in the ancient cultural landscape of the Angoumois in the area of the Charente. The small river Voultron flows through the municipal area.

Demographics

In the first half of the 19th century, the community had at times almost 700 inhabitants; due to the phylloxera crisis in the wine and the mechanization of agriculture, the population then dropped steadily to their lowest point in the 1960s and 1970s from.

Economy

The residents of the community lived for centuries of agriculture; the bottoms of the community belong to the Bons Bois of the vineyard Cognac, but the paragraphs in expensive wine fires in recent decades tended to shrink, so that the wine industry plays any role. Revenue from tourism, especially the rental of apartments ( gîtes ), while since the 1960s play a not unimportant role in the revenue of the municipality.

History

Under the rock shelter ( abri ) of La Quina important prehistoric remains have been found that could be associated with the Mousterian ( Neanderthal ) and the Aurignacian. The Roman road from Angouleme to Perigueux led through the territory of the municipality.

Attractions

• The Parish Church ( Église Notre- Dame de Gardes ) originates from the 12th century; from this time only the outer polygonal broken, but otherwise largely unadorned apse and the more storey towering central tower have been preserved with its stone pyramid roof. The church was enlarged in the 15th century with a Gothic ribbed vault by attaching an aisle on the south side. The facade was - next to the Romanesque portal - a second in late Gothic style forms; the console frieze below the unadorned pediment was extended on this occasion to the south, but lacking the consoles. Exceptional is a stone holy water font in the center of the facade. Are located on the site of the former exterior wall inside the church now powerful circular columns from which seem to grow curved ribs. Apse and tower of the church are recognized as a monument historique since 1943.

Facade of the church

Interior of the church

• Situated in the valley of the Voultron prehistoric site of La Quina (45 ° 30 ' 26 " N, 0 ° 17' 34 " O45.5072222222220.29277777777778 ) is fenced and not be accessible, but also recognized as a monument historique since 1984.
• An unusual sight provides a near standing limestone rock, which was referred to as mushroom by the locals due to its unusual shape.