Saint-Martin-de-Gurson
Saint -Martin -de- Gurson ( Occitan: Sent Martin de Gurçon ) is a southwestern French village with 611 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the Dordogne in the Aquitaine region.
Location
Saint -Martin -de- Gurson lies at an altitude of about 75 meters above sea level. inst in the far west of the department of Dordogne. The nearest major town is about 36 km ( driving distance ) southeast location Bergerac, the capital of the arrondissement; the regional center of Saint- Méard -de- Gurçon is located about nine kilometers south-east.
Demographics
In the 19th century the town had constant 700-950 inhabitants. As a result of the phylloxera crisis in the wine and the increasing mechanization of agriculture has declined since then, the population back down to the lows in the 1970s.
Economy
In earlier times, the residents of the community lived as subsistence agriculture, which included the wine and a little livestock. The rental of apartments ( gîtes ) now plays an important role in the economic life of the community.
History
The Romanesque church suggests an occupation of the site since at least the Middle Ages. In the 15th century it belonged to the basic rule ( seigniory ) of the Counts of Foix - Grailly whose crest forms the essential part of today's local coat of arms.
Attractions
The Parish Church ( Église Saint- Martin) is a Romanesque building of the 12th century, the imposing facade has unmistakable echoes of the architecture of the north-west cultural landscapes of the Charente and the Saintonge: The designed after a triumphal arch schema portal zone consists of a central Archivolts portal and two lateral Blend portals; the above it siebenbogige arcades zone ( with center window) concludes with a console frieze and the pediment is - as usual - unadorned. The single nave is barrel- vaulted; the crossing is topped by a dome and the apse shows the usual Kalottenwölbung. The bell storey of the crossing tower is - unlike the lower part - made of roughly hewn stones; the sound openings are unadorned. The church has already been recognized in 1912 as a monument historique.