commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in the
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
of south-western France.
The inhabitants are known as ''Aigrefeuillais'' or ''Aigrefeuillaises''.
By population as well as by economic weight, it is one of the three main urban centres of the ''Pays d'
Aunis
Aunis () is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name ...
'' along with ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
'' and ''
Marans
The Marans, french: Poule de Marans, italic=no, is a French breed of dual-purpose chicken, reared both for meat and for its dark brown eggs. It originated in or near the port town of Marans, in the département of Charente-Maritime, in the Nouvel ...
''.
The commune has been awarded one flower by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.
Geography
Geographical description
''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' is a small town of 4,037 inhabitants (2017), located in the northwest quarter of the department of
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
, in the region of
Aunis
Aunis () is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name ...
, 25 km east of
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
, 22 km north of
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
and 15 km west of
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
.Distance between town centres as shown in the Michelin Road Maps for Charente, Charente-Maritime, n°324, Edition 6 – 2008
Serving the city
The commune of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' is traversed south of the metropolitan area by the Highway D939 which connects
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
to
Périgueux
Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a communes of France, commune in the Dordogne departments of France, department, in the administrative regions of France, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.
Périgueux i ...
, via
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
and
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
.This is the former NR139. This route is also the old ''Royal Route from Périgueux to La Rochelle'', as it was until the end of the
July Monarchy
The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 F ...
. It was then the old ''Imperial Route'' 139 during the
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
The commune is connected to
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
by the main road D5 which follows the old railway line (closed in 1953).Gérard Blier, ''History of Transport in Charente-Maritime'', Le Croît Vif, études documentaires, 2003, p.132. This "new" route, for that era, directly linked Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis to Rochefort, while the "Ancient Route", Highway D116, passed through
Le Thou
Le Thou () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean is situated about 10 km to the west.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Charente-Maritime departm ...
and rejoined at Puydrouard (commune of Forges. The inhabitants had to pass these villages to get to Rochefort, so they did not catch the train. The D116, which was more-or-less parallel to the old way, was made a "declassified" road to the benefit of the D5. Reported in the Michelin Route Map – Charente, Charente-Maritime, n°324, édition 6 – 2008
Aigrefeuille d'Aunis is traversed in the south of the urban area by the Poitiers-La Rochelle railway line. It is double tracked and was electrified in 1993 to allow passage of the
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
to
La Rochelle Station
Gare de La Rochelle is the main railway station serving La Rochelle. The station building, which includes a 45-metre-tall clock tower, was built in 1922 by Pierre Esquié for the CF de l'Etat replacing the older building. The railway station is w ...
.
Villages, localities and distances in the commune
The commune of Aigrefeuille d'Aunis officially became an Urban Commune after the population census of 1982. This classification criterion was established by INSEE from the fact that the town has gradually spread to several areas, localities, and villages which in the 19th century were clearly separated from the main town.
Thus, in his communal notice that he issued for Aigrefeuille, M. A. Gautier informed his contemporaries that the commune had ten villages and eight hamlets, besides the town, a situation that stood in 1839.
Today, around Aigrefeuille the villages of ''La Taillee'', and ''Bois-Gaillard'' are clustered on the right bank of the Virson stream. On the left bank in the south-west is the large village of ''La Fragnée'' and on the right bank is the village of ''Le Pere''.
In the south, the village ''Le Grand Chemin'' establishes a connection between the urban residential area of ''Aigrefeuille'', the industrial area of ''Fief-Girard'', and the station district along the ''Avenue d'Aunis'', itself extended by the ''Grand Chemin''.
In the Southeast of the conurbation and separated by the small rustic wooded valley of Virson, the residential areas have spread around the ancient village of ''L'Angle'' and have merged with the villages of ''Bois-Gaillard'' and ''La Taillée''.
To the northeast of Aigrefeuille is the village of ''Frace'', which gave its name to the lake, gradually submerged by two major urban housing estates (''Le Hameau du Lac'' and ''Le Fief des Dames'').
Away from the central urban area, in the south-east, is another large village called ''La Planterie''. The latter is located between ''Puydrouard'', a large village in the neighbouring commune of Forges, and the conurbation of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis''.
At the northern edge of the commune and straddling the commune boundary, there is a small area called ''Panonnière''. It is located on a small hill facing the small neighbouring commune of
Virson
Virson () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean is situated to the west.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
The followin ...
.
Just west of the commune and adjacent to ''
Croix-Chapeau
Croix-Chapeau () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
History
From 1953 to 1966 there was a 500-bed U.S. Army hospital in Croix-Chapeau, run by the 28th General Hospital unit,Labrude Pierre (2008) "Les hôpit ...
'', is the former NATO military hospital complex of which was closed in 1967 and since has been transformed into a business area: the ''Grands Champs'' zone, which extends over 56 hectares.
Location and surrounding communities
Six communes have boundaries with the ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'', all these communes are located in the department of ''
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
''.
The three major cities closest to ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' are to the west: ''
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
'', south: ''
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
'', and east:
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
all the cities of
Aunis
Aunis () is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name ...
are located in the northwest of the
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
.
Geology, topography and natural landscapes
The extent of the communal, with a total area of 1676 hectares, is entirely within the limestone plain of ''
Aunis
Aunis () is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name ...
'' which is located to the north of the ''Little Flanders marsh'', a part of the ''Rochefort marshes''.
The entire commune of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' is located on
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
sediments, which cover the entire plain of ''Aunis'' and extend into ''
Angoumois
Angoumois (), historically the County of Angoulême, was a county and province of France, originally inferior to the parent duchy of Aquitaine, similar to the Périgord to its east but lower and generally less forested, equally with occasional vin ...
'' north of the
Charente
Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...
river.
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987.
In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...
Limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
marl
Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae.
Marl makes up the lower part o ...
outcrops appear clearly on the surface of the hilly part of the commune,BRGM Geological Map – Scale: 1/50,000 – Reference: GO634 – Edition: 001 while in the small depression which corresponds to the upstream part of the valley of
Virson
Virson () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean is situated to the west.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
The followin ...
, are deposits from the
Quaternary
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...
period. These are sedimentary deposits of fluvio-marine origin from the
Flandrian transgression The Flandrian interglacial or stage is the name given by geologists and archaeologists in the British Isles to the first, and so far only, stage of the Holocene epoch (the present geological period), covering the period from around 12,000 years ago ...
which were covered by further formations, specifically
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
, due to congestion and stagnation of watercourses. There are many peat bogs east of the communal territory extending into the neighbouring commune of Forges.
The town has very little relief with the average altitude being 25 metres – ranging from the lowest point of 12 metres at ''Lake Frace'', to the highest point of 38 metres at the small hill, between the site of ''Pannonière'' and the low hills in the commune of '' Saint-Christophe'', north of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis''.IGN – Topographic Map of ''Surgeres'' – Scale: 1/25,000 – Reference: 1429E – Edition: 006
All of the commune is located in a flat area, with wide horizons, yielding a landscape based on the
open field system
The open-field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe during the Middle Ages and lasted into the 20th century in Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Each manor or village had two or three large fields, usually several hundred acre ...
characteristic of farming in Europe. ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' is located in the heart of the cereal plain of ''Aunis'', which is reminiscent of
Beauce Beauce may refer to:
* Beauce, France, a natural region in northern France
* Beaucé, a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department, Brittany, France
* Beauce, Quebec, an historical and cultural region of Canada
** Beauce (electoral district), a fed ...
.
The commune is still quite wooded in parts – e.g. the leisure site at ''Lake Frace'', the wooded banks of the Virson stream between the villages of ''La Fragnée'' and ''Le Pere'', and the tourist site of ''La Taillée''.
Hydrography
The city of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' occupies a depression which in medieval times was a floodplain, formed of marshes and peat conducive to forests composed mainly of trees that prefer a damp environment (
alder
Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...
and
ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
in particular). The commune is traversed in its entire length from south-west to north-east by the branches of a small stream, the ''Virson''. This continues its course towards the north-east of the plain of Aunis and swollen by waters of several other streams, becomes a small watercourse in the eponymous village of ''
Virson
Virson () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean is situated to the west.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
The followin ...
'' and joined on its left side by the Curé, a small coastal river that flows into the Bay of Aiguillon south of the estuary of the Sèvre.
Inside the commune of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'', the many branches of the ''Virson'' are the origin of a small river, one of whose arms forms the communal boundary with the commune of Forges to the east, while another branch takes its source from a lake area that feeds ''Lake Frace''. This lakeside site, located northeast of the city, is in fact composed of two interconnected ponds.
Finally, the importance of this stream comes from the fact that it was used to secure the habitat and human activities in the commune since medieval times. Thus, the town of ''Aigrefeuille'' and the villages and hamlets of ''La Fragnée'', ''Le Pere'', ''La Taillée'', ''Bois-Gaillard'', and ''Frace'', have developed on either side of the river all along its course.
Climate
The climate is an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
: the rainfall is relatively high in autumn and winter and the winters are mild. The summer is tempered by the sea breeze. Two winds from the ocean, the "noroît" and the "suroît", blow on the coast of the department. The sunshine of the ''Charente'' coast averages 2,250 hours per year which is comparable to that experienced by parts of the Mediterranean coast.
The records of the meteorological station of La Rochelle between 1946 and 2000 allow the determination of some key dates for the climate perspective in ''
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
'':
*the coldest recorded temperature was on 15 February 1956: -13.6 °C.
*the highest recorded temperature (exceeded only during the
2003 heat wave
The 2003 European heat wave saw the hottest summer recorded in Europe since at least 1540. France was hit especially hard. The heat wave led to health crises in several countries and combined with drought to create a crop shortfall in parts of S ...
) was reached on 8 July 1982 with nearly 39 °C in the shade.
1953 was the driest year and 2000 was the wettest.
The ''
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
'' is the French department, which was hardest hit by Hurricane Martin on 27 December 1999. National records recorded winds of 198 km/h on Oleron island and 194 km/h in
Royan
Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; oc, Roian) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its inhabitants are known as ''Royannais'' and ''Royannaises''. Capi ...
.
Toponymy
The original village was called ''Agrifolio'' "medieval", demonstrating a forestry origin, whose traces in
toponymy
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
can be found elsewhere in many localities of the commune: ''Frace'', ''La Fragnée'', ''La Taillée'', ''Le Bois-Gaillard'', ''Le Bois-de-la-Touche'', ''Le Quéreux-Fresne''.
The modern name of the city is derived from a logical linguistic evolution of the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''acrifolium'' meaning "
Holly
''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
". Actually the first houses of the original hamlet were built near a wood where there was abundant holly.
This forestry origin of the village also recalls that the old
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
belonged to the ancient ''Forest of Argenson''. The Forest of Benon is a modern vestige of this forest.
In another indication, the name of the city originates from acid grass that are found in abundance on the peat land of the commune: "The ebb of the ocean allowed these plants to spread on the water. The decomposition of organic materials then formed a thick layer of peat on which grew a sour acid grass, and thorny leafed trees, hence the name of ''Aigrefeuille''".J.L. Flohic, ''The heritage of communes of the Charente-Maritime'' (collective work), Collection Le patrimoine des communes, Flohic éditions, 2002, (Monograph of Aigrefeuille d'Aunis), Vol 1, p. 41-44
History
Medieval Origins
Although in
Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...
times, a
Roman road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
ran to the south of ''Aigrefeuille'', no evidence of human occupation of this time was noted there. It was not until the period of the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
that the first traces can be found. This Roman road was called "Le Grand Chemin" (The Great Way) and is well documented in the Table of Peutinger and archaeological excavations connected ''Angériacum'' to the current '' Saint-Jean d'Angely'', which is the presumed site of the ''Port du Plomb'' at
L'Houmeau
L'Houmeau () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Charente-Maritime department of Fra ...
via
Muron
Muron () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Charente-Maritime department of France. ...
and
Le Thou
Le Thou () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean is situated about 10 km to the west.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Charente-Maritime departm ...
.
Thus, the earliest known traces of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' are from the early medieval period, i.e. the 12th century: almost the same time as that of
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
, following the fall of Châtelaillon in 1130. ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' is a medieval creation, following the period of the great forest clearing of the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
.
The region of
Aunis
Aunis () is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name ...
, being heavily wooded, was cleared very late, from only the 11th to the 12th centuries and this was a measure of the population increase and the prosperity of the vineyards. A witness to this evolution was the Saint-Étienne church, which was built in the middle of the 12th centuryY. Blomme, The Churches in Aunis, Editions Bordessoules in the heart of the original village but rebuilt several times in the Middle Ages, particularly in 1360 and especially the 15th century, when it was restored and strengthened after the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
.
In the Middle Ages, ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' was at the centre of a large clearing in the forest. The ancient ''Forest of Argenson'', which separated the old provinces of ''Aunis'' and ''Poitou'', was gradually reduced and extensive clearings were carried out mainly for vineyards which, at ''Aigrefeuille'', were at the southern limit of the plain of ''Aunis''.
At the turn of the 13th century, ''Aigrefeuille'' became a
lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...
ship that had already acquired a certain importance in ''Aunis'', and the lord, Guillaume Maingot, was sire of ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
''. He was also the first known lord of ''Aigrefeuille''.J.C. Bonnin, ''Aigrefeuille and Aunis and its lords'', La Rochelle, 1991, p.5 ''Aigrefeuille'' was then a "considerable parish of ''Aunis'' and one of the oldest
Châtelain
Châtelain (from la, castellanus, derived from ''castellum''; pertaining to a castle, fortress. Middle English: '' castellan'' from Anglo-Norman: ''castellain'' and Old French: ''castelain'') was originally the French title for the keeper of a c ...
s of the barony of Surgères with the right of "chasteau" and a fortress with high, medium, and low jurisdiction, honorific rights and the first bench in the church". It was from this time that the village became a busy market, since before the 15th century it had already received approval to build a hall.
Nevertheless, ''Aigrefeuille'' became a viticultural parish which drew its fortunes and prosperity from its proximity to ''
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
'' which was then a new commercial port from where the white wines of ''Aunis'' were exported to
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, England, and the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
. These white wines were already reputable in the 13th century.
Modern Era
The 16th and 17th centuries marked a pause in the expansion of the village which went into a long period of lethargy and decline.
The
religious wars
A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
starting from the 1560s, the disastrous consequences of the
Siege of La Rochelle
The siege of La Rochelle (, or sometimes ) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–28. The siege marked the height of the struggle between the Catholics and the ...
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes () was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. In the edict, Henry aimed pr ...
in 1685, had a lasting impact on Aigrefeuille and the region.
It was also a time of economic slump with a drop in sales of ''Aunis'' wines which competed with those from ''
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
''. Protestant families, many of whom were artisans and winemakers, fled the ''
Aunis
Aunis () is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name ...
'' region. Because of religious persecution and the policy of ostracism initiated by
King Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
, many villages in ''Aunis'', such as ''Aigrefeuille'', were affected by the exodus of Protestants. The village was almost abandoned and in great poverty as was the church which, during the 17th century, was dilapidated and threatened with ruin.
The economic recovery in the long-battered region did not take place until the 18th century.
The town again became a prosperous town with the new growth of the vineyards. The ''Aunis'' vineyards enjoyed a remarkable conversion of production and became a great economic wealth: "From the ''list of grievances'', it is estimated that at the end of the
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for "ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
, the vineyards occupied about a third of most of the parishes in Aunis".F. GITEAU, The Charente-Maritime – Origins of Aunis and Saintonge today, Bordessoules, St-Jean d'Angély, 1981, p. 239-240.
This growth came from the mutation of the vineyards of ''Aunis'', which had operated since the 16th century, to the production of brandy: "The slump of ''Aunis'' wine caused by strong competition from ''Bordeaux'' wine gave rise to the first distillations, learned from the Dutch. The Netherlands and the Baltic countries were the first lasting buyers of "vin brûlé" ("
Mulled wine
Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is us ...
" or ''Brandewijn'' in Dutch) from ''Aunis''. If vineyard production was important, it grew most often at the expense of other products: "The land around maritime activities stimulate production, supported by capital from a well-off society (from the bourgeoisie of
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
) that marks the landscape footprint of these speculative activities. These speculative activities develop around the vine which, at the pace of growth of the trade in spirits, born during the 16th century, settled on all suitable land to accommodate it, sometimes to the detriment of other food-producing areas".
In addition to the expansion of the vine, growing cereals,
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
, and
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...
in particular, was well developed in the course of the 18th century. Several windmills were built during this century, including in the Village and on the road to Virson. Another windmill was built in stone during the 18th century: the ''Moulin du Vieox-Fief'', which demonstrated a certain degree of opulence of the corporation of millers at the time.
The rise of ''Aigrefeuille'' during this period also came from its situation on the route from ''
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
'' to ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
''; the village was served by a first class road, which corresponded to a paved road in the
Généralité
''Recettes générales'', commonly known as ''généralités'' (), were the administrative divisions of France under the Ancien Régime and are often considered to prefigure the current ''préfectures''. At the time of the French Revolution, there ...
road network of ''Aunis'' and ''
Saintonge
Saintonge may refer to:
*County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast
*Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province
Places
*Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge, a commune in the Charente-Mari ...
''.
At the dawn of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, ''Aigrefeuille'' was a large rural parish, with more than a thousand inhabitants. In 1793, its population was 1,290 inhabitants. However, it was not accepted by the Constituent Assembly in 1790 to be designated as the capital of the Canton, which was Ciré until 1801.
The 19th century, the century of great changes
Aigrefeuille, capital of canton
The town of ''Aigrefeuille'' became the capital of the canton at the beginning of the 19th century, following the redistribution of the administrative map of the region in 1800. This administrative function was withdrawn from Ciré and from Benon. These two cantons were united in 1801 into one canton with the boundaries redefined.
The geographical criterion was little influence on the choice of ''Aigrefeuille'' as capital, since the town is not the centre of the canton. It was both because of its demographic weight and diversity of economic activities that the town was designated to be the new capital of a district then comprising fourteen communes. This new role put the tribunal of the justice of peace in the town, and the former constabulary building became a Police Station again as in the Napoleonic era.
At the end of the
First Empire First Empire may refer to:
* First British Empire, sometimes used to describe the British Empire between 1583 and 1783
* First Bulgarian Empire (680–1018)
*First French Empire (1804–1814/1815)
* First German Empire or "First Reich", sometimes u ...
, the wealth of ''Aigrefeuille'' was based primarily on agriculture. The expansion of the vineyards was so great that it became a true monoculture until the crisis of
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
, which reached the vineyards of Aunis in 1876. The wine brought great prosperity to the commune and the countryside of ''Aunis''.
If the town became a major centre of wine production in the first half of the 19th century, it was also a centre of small rural industries, with four windmills, two textile factories, a lime kiln, and the important mining of a
peat bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
which employed a large number of labourers.M.A. Gautier, ''Dictionary of the communes of Lower Charente'', Les Chemins de la mémoire, Saintes, p. 59-60 Peat Bogs in the commune were used particularly to supply several cognac distilleries in ''Aigrefeuille'' as wood, which was usually used in the "roasters", had become a rare commodity in ''Aunis''.
At the beginning of the
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
, ''Aigrefeuille'' had 1,664 inhabitants – it had increased its population by more than one sixth since the beginning of the century when the town had 1,367 inhabitants. Meanwhile, the town recorded its first peak of population with 1,720 inhabitants recorded in 1836.
The "golden age" of the Second Empire
It was during the
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
that Aigrefeuille becomes a boom town and would experience a true "golden age."
Its industrial activities and especially its trading in spirits were stimulated by the introduction of the railway in 1857. The railway contributed to the making of some significant changes.
From September 1857, "it connects the two largest cities (Rochefort and La Rochelle) to the capital, thanks to the two lines that meet at ''Aigrefeuille'' and then join into the trunk line which continues towards
Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...
and Paris".G. Blier, ''History of Transport in Charente-Maritime'', Le Croît Vif, études documentaires, 2003, p. 82-83 Three rail lines traversed ''Aunis'' through ''Aigrefeuille'': "Under the metal canopy ''Aigrefeuille'' station reigned a great deal of activity because it is the junction of the La Rochelle and Rochefort lines to Paris and the La Rochelle – Rochefort line; Nearby, a small locomotive depot meets the motive power needs".
Rail passenger traffic was double that of the active freight traffic and required a large footprint on the commune. ''Aigrefeuille'' quickly became a major railway centre with workshops for maintenance and repair of locomotives in the "roundhouse", a large semi-circular building housing the steam locomotives. This function of a junction and railway depot was completed by the installation of a gas plant and a gasometer followed by a water tower.Y. le Dret, ''The Train in Poitou-Charentes'', Les Chemins de la Mémoire Editeur, Saintes, Vol 1, p.32 The station at ''Aigrefeuille'' was particularly busy and important. It had three waiting rooms, a buffet, and even a library. It quickly became a new place of entertainment for the commune.
Throughout the period of the
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
,
viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
remained the dominant activity in ''Aigrefeuille'', as in the rest of the canton. The town was the site of a new Cognac distillery which installed its cellars and warehouses in 1865 and made great strides, even after the crisis of phylloxera. This large distillery contributed to the reputation of the town by its brandy that was then called the "Aigrefeuille".
During the
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
, the commune, despite its economic prosperity, found its development contrasted with its demographics. Thus, from 1851 to 1861, the ''Aigrefeuille'' population grew quite strongly, reaching a second peak of population with 1,821 inhabitants in 1861.
This growth was in line with that of the canton and the department of Lower Charente, but the commune recorded in the next census a notable decline in population. Nevertheless, ''Aigrefeuille'' was still the first commune in its canton and was one of the largest rural communes of ''Aunis'' at the beginning of the Third Republic.
Despite a relatively stable population, a new urban fabric began to develop, especially around the new station area. From its medieval origins to the Second Empire, village life was organized primarily around the church and the adjoining square, the current ''Place de la Republique''.
The installation of a religious boarding school in 1857, which was one of the first buildings to be built in the second half of the 19th century in ''Aigrefeuille'', paved the way for urban planning work which also continued during the Third Republic.
During the Second Empire, the centre of the village began to change. A new square, surrounded by chestnut trees, was set up to accommodate a showground for livestock, and this business made ''Aigrefeuille'' one of the largest markets in ''Aunis''.
In 1870 a new town hall was built with an adjoining boys' school. This stone building also housed the court of the justice of the peace and was the pride of the villagers.
New streets, including ''Avenue des Maronniers'' and ''Avenue d'Aunis'', were pushed through as well as the ''Avenue de la Gare'' that opened onto the large stone building of the railway station. The latter, which was an attractive building with the whole length built on two levels, was set around a large square used for parking of motor vehicles and horse-drawn vehicles. The station quickly became a new place of attraction, especially during the "frairies": annual festivals that were organized on the site and attracted large crowds from surrounding communes.
The phylloxera crisis of 1876
The outline of a new urban fabric, emerging from the Second Empire, continued during the Third Republic at least until the end of the 19th century. The transformation of the original village into a large rural town was progressively achieved with the construction of new public and religious buildings.
In 1875 a chapel was built for the religious boarding school, followed a year later by the construction of the new police station. Finally, the church underwent a complete restoration in the late 19th century when the tower in particular was rebuilt and topped with a tall spire, a sign of local wealth. The work was completed in 1896.
The commune took the name of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' on 11 September 1891.
The commune had 1,648 inhabitants at that time and remained by far the largest town in the canton although its population had been in decline for more than a decade.
The crisis of
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
came in 1875 in the
Saintonge
Saintonge may refer to:
*County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast
*Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province
Places
*Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge, a commune in the Charente-Mari ...
vineyards, and the following year reached ''Aunis''. This led to profound economic changes on the plain of ''Aunis'' where the vineyards were gradually abandoned.
They were replaced by forage crops for dairy farming. In Aunis, this new agricultural activity grew rapidly thanks to the powerful dairy cooperative movement begun in 1888 in Chaillé in the Commune of Saint-Georges-du-Bois which then spread to
Saintonge
Saintonge may refer to:
*County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast
*Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province
Places
*Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge, a commune in the Charente-Mari ...
and
Poitou
Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe.
Geography
The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...
before the 20th century.
Together with dairy farming, cereal cropping also grew for which the cultivable land of the plain of ''Aunis'' is particularly well suited.
Sugar beet
A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...
At the beginning of the 20th century until after the Second World War, Aigrefeuille d'Aunis went into a long period of decline, resulting in the stagnation of economic activities and an almost continuous decline in population.
''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' could not maintain its position as a railway junction. In October 1933, passenger and cargo traffic were finally stopped between ''Rochefort'' and ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis''. The activities of the locomotive depot gradually reduced and then the depot was dismantled.
The station could still accommodate passenger traffic on the railway line from Paris-La Rochelle, but it lost much of its importance, while the NR139 highway was moved further south, diverting transit traffic outside the town. ''Aigrefeuille'' thus lost the opportunity to develop a real rail and road intersection.
In addition, the diversification of industrial activities stopped in the commune. The abandonment of the beet sugar industry brought about the end of the distillery at the end of the 1930s.
The decline was amplified since the rural exodus initiated by the long crisis of
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
. ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' did not escape this trend of rural decline and could not stop the depopulation of the township, which lasted until the Second World War. New economic activities were little source of employment, while the vineyards had required abundant labour.
Thus, the changing demographics of the commune of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' and its canton followed from the impact of the serious wine crisis, resulting in an almost continuous demographic decline from 1876 to 1946. During this period, the city recorded a dramatic decline in its population with a population loss of 607 inhabitants, a decrease of one-third of the population (-32.3%).
Moreover, this demographic decline was clearly felt in the cessation of planning work at the end of the 19th century. In the first half of the 20th century, ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' entered a period of lethargy and the commune stagnated. The sumptuous period of major urban work undertaken during the second half of the 19th century which was a "golden age" for the town was over.
At the end of the Second World War the town of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' was considerably damaged and its factories were largely destroyed (mills, dairy factory, beet distillery), as well as transport infrastructure (bridges over railway lines and the railway station district, roads, electric power grid).
It was only in the time after the Second World War that the city experienced a revival, based on economic and urban development, which significantly transformed the commune.
Heraldry
Economy
''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' is a small city and an urban centre in ''Pays d'Aunis''. It is complementary to
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
, and serves as a relay centre vis-à-vis its larger neighbour,
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
on which, in many ways, it is dependent.
A structured urban centre in Aunis country
Aigrefeuille d'Aunis is one of the three urban centres forming the structure of Aunis country together with
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
(about 6000 inhabitants) and
Marans
The Marans, french: Poule de Marans, italic=no, is a French breed of dual-purpose chicken, reared both for meat and for its dark brown eggs. It originated in or near the port town of Marans, in the département of Charente-Maritime, in the Nouvel ...
(about 5000 inhabitants).
Employment in the commune is shown in the following table:
; Sectors of Activity in Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis in 2017Dossier complet: Commune d'Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis (17003) INSEE
As shown in the above table, industrial employment is important in ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' which can be called an "industrial centre" although the tertiary sector (trade, services, government, health and education) takes up the majority of jobs in the city with 66.8% in 2017. The proportion of tertiary industry is lower than other cities in most departments because of their lower levels of industrialisation.
Socio-professional categories Aigrefeuille d'Aunis 2017
In 2017, the category of "workers" remained dominant. This is the indication of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' being an industrial centre. The unemployment rate was 9.3% (168 persons).
A city with an industrial tradition
The city has some industrial tradition inherited from the 19th century, but the old industries disappeared after the Second World War (mills, farms peat, lime kiln, textiles, distilleries for "brandy and sugar beet"). The mills that were destroyed during the Second World War were not rebuilt, they were demolished and transformed into housing. The Sugar beet distillery ceased its activities following the Liberation and its buildings were sold in 1960. The brandy distillery became a wine merchant which sold its last bottle in 1989.
As for the dairy complex (cheese, butter and casein), it became important in the 1960s and 1970s and became one of the leading centres of dairy production in Aunis. At the same time: "''in 1958, there were more than 15 larger cooperative dairy factories in the départment, with more than 30,000 hl of milk treated per year''". In this period of rapid development, the dairy factory at ''Aigrefeuille'' joined the powerful regional dairy union UCLA,''UCLA: Union des Laiteries Coopératives de l'Aunis'', with the head office at
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
but faced increasing competition and European restrictions on the PAC dairy quotas in France. The dairy factory was completely rebuilt and modernised in 1958 yet had to cease all activities in 1981 in favour of that at ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
'' which became the main centre of all dairy production in the Central West of France.
The development of industrial zones
While the city is not home to large factories nevertheless industrial zones have been established.
There is an industrial area of 56 hectares of land and 90,000 m2 of buildings containing thirty-five establishments and twenty depots. The Handling and Transit Company (SETT) from La Rochelle occupies a warehouse of 22,500 m2 where it stocks barley and wheat".Article in the regional magazine ''Sud-Ouest'' on 1 June 2006, called: "''200 hectares pour les entreprises''"
Since the early 1970s, a new industrial area of 35 hectares has been established in the south of the town near the railway line. There are businesses specializing in: recreational boating industry, wood processing, metalworking, plastics, concrete products.
The recreational boating industry
''Aigrefeuille Aunis'' houses the headquarters of the world leading manufacturer of cruising catamarans: ''Fountaine Pajot''. Fountaine Pajot has been established since 1976 in the ''Fief-Girard'' industrial zone and is now the largest employer in town with about 250 staff. Since 1983 the company has delivered 1,668 catamarans of 21 different models".
Various industries
Other industrial plants of note include:
*CEM-DIP: a large industrial fabricator of wood frames using the "CTB-CI" trademark.
*SAS Gaudissard: manufacturer of aluminum gates and PVC windows employs 60 staff and has 5,000 Sq. M of factory.
*UPM-Kymmene (formerly ''RABOPALE''): a sawmill employing 40 staff and produces 45,000 Sq. M of sawn timber per year.
*SO.GE.MA.P.: – a plastic injection moulding company which employs thirty people and manufactures garden furniture and parts public works.
*ZA Freiberg: Established in the commune in 2008 and also shared with Le Thou, it produces concrete blocks in large volumes with a land area of 65,500 Sq. M.
*Ballanger SAS: a wholesale distributor of agricultural machinery. The company is the second largest private employer in the city, employing over 78 people.
An agricultural service centre
''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' has had an agricultural market to serve the ''Aunis'' plain since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
when the town had a covered market with fairs and open markets. Today it has a weekly agricultural market and monthly fairs.
''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' has become a major transit centre for grain with large grain silos located in the area of the old railway station. The agricultural cooperative ''MCA'' specialises in grain storage and the trading of seeds, as well as providing food for livestock. It is one of the largest employers in the city with more than fifty jobs. This grain trading company took over the premises of the former sugar beet cooperative distillery in 1960 then expanded and modernized the premises.
An active commercial city
Despite the strong influence of ''
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
'' and to a lesser extent that of ''Rochefort'' and ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
'', ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' has remained an active centre of trade with expansion of its shops and stores around the ''Place de la Republique'' with other shopping areas in ''Rue de l'Aunis'' and ''Avenue des Marronniers''. On the outskirts of the city there is an Intermarche mall, Big-Mat building materials mall, and Gamm-Green gardening and DIY.
Activities and tourism facilities
There is a leisure park of eight hectares built on the shores of ''Lake Frace'', as well as a resort named ''La Taillée''. The latter, which covers almost four acres includes a swimming pool, a holiday village, and a campground with 82 spaces.Official website for the town of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Administration
List of Successive Mayors of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
;Mayors from 1941
Canton
Since 1801, when the Consulate was established by
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, the commune of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' became the chief town of a canton which now has 11 towns and 12,866 inhabitants (in 2007). It is part of the
Arrondissement of Rochefort
The arrondissement of Rochefort (french: arrondissement de Rochefort, link=no) is an arrondissement (district) in the Charente-Maritime department in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. It has 78 communes. Its population is 189,875 (2016), a ...
.
Intercommunality
''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' joined the ''Community of Communes of Plaine d'Aunis'' in October 2001. The commune hosts the administrative headquarters of the community which manages 17 communes.
This intercommunal structure is also part of the ''Pays d'Aunis'' whose headquarters are at
Courçon
Courçon () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Charente-Maritime department of F ...
. The ''Community of Communes of Plaine d'Aunis'' is the most populous part of the ''Pays d'Aunis''.
Constituency
Since the electoral redistricting of November 1986 (under the Pasqua law), the city of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' and its canton belong to the Second Legislative DistrictThe second electoral regrouping was for the cantons of: ''Marans'', ''Courçon'', ''La Jarrie'', ''Aytré'', ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'', ''Surgères'', ''Rochefort-Centre'', ''Rochefort-Nord'', and ''Rochefort-Sud'' of
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
, also called the ''Rochefort Riding'' of ''Pays d'Aunis''.
Since 17 June 2012, the deputy has been Suzanne Tallard, who is also mayor of Aytré and who succeeded Jean-Louis Leonard.
Taxation
The regional share of the property tax is not applicable.
Aigrefeuille d'Aunis commune does not collect business tax: it is collected by the ''Community of Communes of Plaine d'Aunis''. The business tax was replaced in 2010 by the company land premium (CFE) on the rental value of property and the contribution of the added value of enterprises tax (CAVE) (both forming the territorial economic contribution (CET) which is a local tax introduced by the Finance Act 2010Law No. 2009-1673 of 30 December 2009 of finances for 2010 (Légifrance)).
Police Station
The city has a police station located on ''Avenue des Marronniers'', in a new, more functional building abandoning the old building built in 1875. Its radius of action covers the entire ''Canton of Aigrefeuille d'Aunis''.
The ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' police unit works together with that of ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
'' where two units of the police force coordinate their efforts within the Community brigades of Surgères and Aigrefeuille, known under the acronym "COB Surgères / aigrefeuille". This unit operates in two cantons together with over 28,000 inhabitants and covers 23 communes. ''COB Surgères / Aigrefeuille'' is empowered to conduct anti-crime operations (ADO) with stop and search for people and vehicles, occasionally assisted by additional anti-narcotic units (air support helicopter, dog and patrols from the Psig of Rochefort).
The city opened a new police barracks on 20 May 2011 where it has renovated offices and new housing to accommodate 11 policemen and their families.
Twinning
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis has twinning associations with:
* Velden (Germany) since 1985.
Since 1985, the town of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' has been twinned with Velden, a town of the district of
Landshut
Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...
in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, Germany, located 60 km north-east of
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
.
This pairing originated from the captivity of an inhabitant of the town during the Second World War, Paul Métais.
Population and urbanization
Population
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is an urban commune which is part of the
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
of
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
. It is a small city that has seen a dramatic increase in population since the end of the Second World War when its population more than doubled between 1946 and 2007.
In 1946 the population at 1278 was at its lowest ever recorded level. In 1975 the population exceeded 2,000 for the first time ever. At the next census in 1982, it reached 2,843 which is when INSEE officially classified it as an urban commune. Since then, it has increased beyond 3,000 inhabitants in 1999 and growth continues.
In 2007, ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' was the 19th largest urban unit of the
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
. This small town has undergone profound changes in the urban landscape since the end of World War II and continues to evolve even though it still retains a certain cachet of a large rural village.
At the end of the Second World War, ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' was still a small rural town and the town was in a rebuilding phase, having been heavily bombed during military assaults in the La Rochelle pocket to clear the region of the occupiers. Its population then dropped to its lowest level ever recorded in the town (1,278) in 1946. The village centre lost a large number of traces of the past, only a few old houses – like the old confessional boarding school, the former police station, and the Town Hotel – have been saved and the church dominates the city with its high tower.
The strong rural and village character inherited from the prewar ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' has been gradually reduced and the commune displays a more marked urban character, including the development of residential areas and renovation of the urban habitat.
It is from the 1970s and especially during the decade of the 1980s, that the commune has initiated a voluntary program of urbanization by acquiring many subdivisions of houses grouped under the generic term of fief or suburb. It is in this period that the city has grown the most and suffered the most changes, gaining more than a thousand people between 1968 and 1982. These new developments now surround the centre of the city and extend along the main access routes to the city centre. The construction of suburbs and cooperative subdivisions, begun in the sixties and seventies, helped to seal the fate of the old villages and the town, including the former villages of ''La Fragnée'', to the west, and ''L'Angle'' to the east.
Then, in the course of the 1970s and 1980s, the old village of ''Péré'' was integrated into the city by the establishment of new residential areas, while industrial areas spread south of the city, along the lines of road and rail communication, especially around the area of the station. The old village of ''Grand Chemin'' has grown as a residential area and connects the urban residential area of ''Aigrefeuille'' and the industrial area of ''Fief-Girard''. To the north-east towards the new tourist attraction of the city near ''Lake Frace'' and to the village of ''Virson'' extends a residential area of more dense housing (''Fief des Dames'', ''Hameau du Lac''). It is to the east of the city that urbanization is accentuated with the old wooded village of ''La Taillée'', transformed early on into a site of recreation and tourism. This part of the city is growing towards the large village of ''La Planterie'' that in the early 1960s, was a modest hamlet barely reported on maps. Some modern building of private residences has taken place in the residential park to the west and north of the city centre to complete this controlled urbanization.
Culture and heritage
Civil heritage
The commune has three buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
*The Betteraves Distillery (1888)
*The Dairy Factory (1890)
*The Seigneurie de Chaumeau Farm and Mill (18th century)
;Other sites of interest:
*The Town Hall was built in cut stone with bands between the floors and a triangular
Pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedimen ...
. It is one of the oldest buildings in the city, dating from the period of the end of the
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
. It was inaugurated in 1870.
*The old
Maréchaussée
The () were corps of soldiers in the armies of France initially put in charge of military policing and justice in the Middle Ages, and later extended to civilian responsibilities. They gradually coalesced into a police force with jurisdicti ...
, now ''Gendarmerie'' (Police Station) was built during the Third Republic in 1876 and is of the same neo-classical style as the Town Hall and also built with cut stone. This elegant building now houses the social services of the Town Hall.
File:AigrefeuilleMairie3.jpg, The Town Hall of Aigrefeuille d'Aunis view from the Place de la République.
File:Ancienne gendarmerie d'Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis.jpg, Former Police Station of Aigrefeuille d'Aunis.
File:Monument aux morts d'Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis.jpg, The war memorial on the Place de la République.
Religious heritage
The church of Saint-Étienne
The Church of Saint-Étienne, originally built in the middle of the 12th century, has undergone many changes during its history. Dependent at the beginning on the chapter of
Soubise Soubise can refer to:
* Soubise, a salpicon of cooked and pureed rice and onions; used primarily "au gratin". (steaks, tournedos)
* Soubise sauce, based on Béchamel sauce, with the addition of a ''soubise'' of onion and rice purée
* Soubise, Ch ...
, the old church was a modest Romanesque structure. Several campaigns at the beginning of the 14th century led to the expansion of the sanctuary, which was enclosed by ribbed vaults with a flat
chevet
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
, and the construction of rectangular side chapels replaced the old Romanesque absidioles
The current facade, flanked by two massive buttresses, was greatly modified in the 18th century. A new campaign of work conducted in the following century led to the replacement of the old medieval tower, formerly established at the intersection of the transept: a
neo-Romanesque
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
surmounted by an octagonal spire in stone containing four pierced pinnacles. This configuration differed from a number of churches in ''Aunis'', which often featured campenards.
Notable features include the Romanesque ''croisillons'', the only evidence of the original building, which retain their vaults with broken supports from the 12th century and several storied
capitals
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
. The ribbed vaults of the
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
rest on carved bases. A wooden
tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
dating from the first half of the 18th century is kept in the sacristy.
In the immediate vicinity of the church, the ''Place de la République'' (formerly known as ''Place de l'Église'' then ''Place du Maréchal Pétain'' during the
occupation
Occupation commonly refers to:
*Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment
*Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces
*Military occupation, th ...
) has seen many changes and embellishments. It remains the heart of the city and offers an interesting perspective on the sanctuary. The war memorial there was created by the architect ''Beraud'' in 1920.
File:EgliseAigrefeuille5.jpg, The steeple of the church of Saint-Étienne.
File:PlaceEgliseAigrefeuille17.jpg, The church and the war memorial.
The College of the Holy Sacrament
This religious institution was founded in 1857 at the request of the
Bishop of La Rochelle
The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes ( la, Dioecesis Rupellensis et Santonensis; french: Diocèse de La Rochelle et Saintes) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the département ...
: ''Jean-François Landriot''. Four Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament of Autun are responsible for the management of the institution, which had nearly a hundred students at the beginning of the 20th century. The college was converted into a hospital during the First World War.
The buildings are built in cut stone and are characterized by a certain academicism. A new
neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
chapel replaced the first oratory in 1885.
Facilities
Inter-urban transport
Road access
The Inter-urban bus transport departmental network called ''Les Mouettes'' regularly operate between ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' and ''
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
'', ''
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
'', and ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
''.
The city is served daily by the main Service 11 ''La Rochelle-Surgères'' and regular secondary services Nos. 195 and 196, the first connecting with ''Rochefort'' and serving the cantons south of ''Aigrefeuille'' township and the second connecting to ''La Rochelle'' via ''
La Jarrie
La Jarrie () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
Geography
The commune consists of the small town La Jarrie and parts of the hamlets Grolleau, Chassagné and Puyvineux.
Population
See also
* Communes of ...
''.
Rail service
The ''Aigrefeuille'' station was closed to passenger traffic in 1993 after being served by the
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
.The ''Aigrefeuille Station'' can be temporarily occupied by a security guard if needed (during any works, for example, or in case of a serious disturbance). See also the website "Sur les Rails Charentais" Yet it was one of the earliest railway stations have been built in the ''
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
''. In fact, the railway came to ''Aigrefeuille'' in 1857 thanks to the Paris Orléans Company (PO).Y. Le Dret, ''The Train in Poitou-Charentes'', Les Chemins de la Mémoire Editeur, Saintes, Vol 1, p.25
The nearest railway station to ''Aigrefeuille'' is ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
'', located 15 kilometres from the town centre. Surgères Railway Station is the third railway station of the
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
by passenger traffic and is served by
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
on the Paris-La Rochelle line via
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
.
Air service
The nearest airport is the La Rochelle-Ile de Ré airport. It is located 30 kilometres west of the commune. It is the largest airport in the
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...
region by passenger traffic (more than 220,000 passengers per year) and the largest in the
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
Valley and
Gironde
Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...
.
Medical services
The town has two surgeries, one of which is located in the city centre. This medical centre houses four GPs while in the outskirts of the city centre is a second surgery.
The centre also has two dental practices.
''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' does not have a radiology or MRI centre. The nearest is at
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
.
The nearest hospital is located in
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
less than twenty kilometres south of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'', however the Central Hospital of ''
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
'' which is more than twenty kilometres to the west offers a very wide range of treatments as it is the largest hospital in the department of ''
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
''.
Paramedical services
The city has a nursing home with four therapists, two speech therapists, and a podiatrist. On the outskirts of the city centre, are several nursing and physiotherapy practices.
''Aigefeuille d'Aunis'' has two pharmacies, both located in the city centre, and an optician. There is also a dental prosthesis laboratory.
The city does not have a medical laboratory, the nearest being located at ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
''.
An ambulance service is located on the outskirts of the town centre. It is supported by firefighters occasionally needed to intervene in an emergency situation. There is also a rescue centre, which depends on the SDIS of
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
.
A veterinary clinic is located in the city which covers the whole ''canton of Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' while the artificial insemination centre covers the entire north of the ''Charente-Maritime''.
Old Age Social Services
A retirement residence, under the department of ''Charente-Maritime'', can accommodate up to sixty residents. Set in a landscaped garden and located 300 metres from the city centre, this public retirement village also has a specialized
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...
unit of 10 hospital beds.
A home help service within a larger departmental structure, has opened a branch in the city.
Education
More than 1,050 students attend schools and colleges located in ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis''.
Schools
''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' has both private and public education schools.
The kindergarten and primary school of the public sector are in a school complex located in the ''Rue des Écoles'' near the city centre. This group of schools was built in 1958 and was successively expanded in 1962 and in 1977.
In the private sector, ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' has the Seminary of the Holy Sacrament, which is located in Virson Street near the city centre. It consists of a kindergarten and an elementary school.
Colleges
The college of modern construction, was built on the road to Saint-Christophe. It is called ''CES André Dulin'', named after the former President of the General Council of
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
and Mayor of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis''. This school has undergone several phases of expansion due to the steady increase in numbers. After its construction in 1955 it was expanded in 1964 and again in 1972.G. Blier et J. Combes, ''History of Education in Charente-Maritime'', le Croît vif – Collections documentaires, 2007, p. 292, 295, 354 This is one of the largest colleges in the Charente-Maritime by enrollment with 715 students which are supervised by a faculty of fifty teachers.
The college catchment area covers the eleven communes in the canton of Aigrefeuille d'Aunis and falls within the district of Rochefort for the academic Inspection Department.
The College of the Holy Sacrament is a private college with recruitment going beyond the limits of the canton of ''Aigefeuille d'Aunis''. It was a boarding school until the 1990s which then was replaced by a network of host families. The old chapel was renovated in 1991 and offers a beautiful room for conferences and the college choir.
This private school is one of ten private schools in the department of ''Charente-Maritime''. It works with a network of private schools in ''
Surgères
Surgères () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
History
Middle ages
The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic times, but the earliest recorded history comes ...
'' and ''
Marans
The Marans, french: Poule de Marans, italic=no, is a French breed of dual-purpose chicken, reared both for meat and for its dark brown eggs. It originated in or near the port town of Marans, in the département of Charente-Maritime, in the Nouvel ...
''.
Sports
The commune has a football stadium, a rugby stadium, an athletics track, an intercommunal swimming pool, a new intercommunal
dojo
A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
, several tennis courts and a gym.
Since 2010, a new sports complex on the road to '' Saint-Christophe'' northwest of the city centre has been opened. It covers 45,000 sq. m including a reception area, a training ground, a games area, a playground for children, stands, and changing rooms.
Culture
Cultural facilities are:
*a village hall
*a multipurpose hall
*a Municipal Library
*a School of Music and Dance.
Local life
Religion
Aigrefeuille d'Aunis belongs to the
Roman Catholic Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes
The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes ( la, Dioecesis Rupellensis et Santonensis; french: Diocèse de La Rochelle et Saintes) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the département ...
and the Metropolitan
Archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
of Poitiers (Prior to 2002 in the
Archdiocese of Bordeaux
The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...
).
The Aigrefeuille d'Aunis catholic church provides religious services.
The commune does not have a Protestant church, however worship can be celebrated in La Rochelle or Rochefort.
Media
The city of ''Aigrefeuille d'Aunis'' is served by the regional daily newspaper ''Sud Ouest'', which has a branch in ''La Rochelle'', and the weekly magazine ''Charente-Maritime-Hebdo'', headquartered in ''Surgères''.
TV
The town is served by the transmitter of ''La Rochelle-ZUP de Mireuil'' (analogue and digital TV).Coverage of the transmitter of La Rochelle – ZUP de Mireuil Digital broadcasting from this transmitter was activated in October 2006 in order to overcome the deficiencies of the transmitter at ''Niort-Maisonneuve'' (signal distortion was reported in some areas of the Charente-Maritime). All national channels are broadcast, including the regional version of
France 3
France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info.
It is made up of a network of regional television services providing ...
, France 3 Poitou-Charentes, and its local station: France 3 Atlantique.
See also
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Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Charente-Maritime department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):