Abzac (; ''Azac'' in

Limousin dialect Limousin (French name, ; oc, lemosin, ) is a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the three departments of Limousin, parts of Charente and the Dordogne in the southwest of France. The first Occitan documents are in an early form of this ...

) is a

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 department 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 ...

region of southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Abzacois'' or ''Abzacoises'' but can also be alternatively known as ''Abzacais'' or ''Abzacaises''

Geography

Abzac is located in the extreme north-east of the department of Charente and borders the communes of Availles-Limouzine, Lessac, Saint-Germain-de-Confolens, Brillac, and Oradour-Fanais. The northern border of the commune is also the border between Charente and

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Confolens in the south and continuing north to Adriers - the former route Bis from Paris to Spain and the D99 (Route de Brillac) which branches from the D951 in the south-east then continues through the village north-west to Availles-Limouzine. The D951 road passes along the southern border of the commune from Lessac in the south-west to Mezieres-sur-Issoire in the east. Other departmental minor roads pass through the commune such as the D98 from Oradour-Fanais in the east to join the D729 in the north of the commune and the D324 which branches off the D951 in the south and passes through the commune to join the D99 south of the village.Google Maps
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Hamlets and Localities

To the northeast of the village, the hamlet of Chardat is nicknamed the ''Village of Clay''. This village is home to many tile and brick makers. Other smaller hamlets are: *In the north: **Chez Redon **Le Petit Serail **Le Grand Serail **Le Marnier **Le Serail *In the south: **Le Queroy **La Pelletiere **Monette **Le Fourniou **Vernet **Les Chaumes **Chaumont **Chez Pilloux

Geology and terrain

As with the whole north-east of the department of Charente which is called ''Charente Limousine'', the commune is located on the plateau of

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

in the western part of the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

which is composed of

crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

and

metamorphic Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causi ...

rocks - relics of the

Hercynian orogeny The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea. Nomenclature The name ''Variscan'', comes f ...

. A large central part of the commune of Abzac is

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

. The west of the commune is composed of

paragneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...

and

diorites Diorite ( ) is an intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is intermediate in composition between low-silic ...

. The plateau in the east of the commune is covered with alterite and degraded granite. Small areas in the north of the commune are composed of

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

and quartz shingle. The commune is situated on a plateau inclined towards the west descending to the valley of the

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.IGN Map on

Géoportail Géoportail is a comprehensive web mapping service of the French government that publishes maps and geophysical aerial photographs from more than 90 sources for France and its territories. The service, first developed by two public agencies (the ...

The territory is composed of 81% agricultural land and 17% forest and semi-natural environments. The remaining 2% is shared between ''artificial territories'' and areas of water.

Hydrography

The commune is bordered in the west by the

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.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 ...

, and occupies the right bank. The entire commune is therefore in the Loire basin. Many ponds dot the commune and streams connect them to the Vienne such as the Ruisseau de l'Etang de Serail in the north and the Ruisseau de l'Etang de Monette in the centre. In the south there is also the Ruisseau du Moulin de la Toueille, the Ruisseau de la Vergne, and La Curre which is the border of the commune in the south. The Ruisseau de Marcillac is the only stream to flow eastwards. It is a tributary of the Blourde which itself is a tributary of the

Climate

The climate is degraded

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

. This is the same as Charente Limousine but more humid and cooler than the rest of the department.

Toponymy

The name ''Abzac'' has been attested in the forms ''Absacum'' in the 14th century and ''Azat'' in the 17th century.Jean-Marie Cassagne and Stéphane Seguin, ''Origin of the names of the towns and villages of Charente'', Ed. Jean-Michel Bordessoules, 1998, 311 pages, pp. 7 and 72, The name ''Abzac'' is derived from the low

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 ...

''Apiciacum'' which is based on the Latin anthroponym ''Apicius'' with a suffix ''-acum'' of Gallic origin signifying property. Ernest Negre preferred the Latin personal name of ''Avitius'' (without mentioning the older form) followed by the same suffix. The name of the place called ''le Quéroy'' comes from the Latin ''quadrivium'' meaning "crossroads" which probably indicated two old roads.

History

Prehistoric remains and antiquities in Abzac indicates an ancient settlement. Abzac was part of the old province of

, and the people of the village spoke the

. Abzac was a former

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

of the

Diocese of Limoges The Roman Catholic Diocese of Limoges (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lemovicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Limoges'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the '' départments'' of Haute-Vienne and Cr ...

, famous for its pilgrimage for the saints Lucius and Emerite every seven years. In 1311 ''Audemar of Archiac'', one of a family from

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 ...

, was Lord of Saint-Germain, Availles-Limouzine and Abzac. He was also attested as lord of Abzac Aimar and Archiac in 1410 then it was Odet of Archiac in 1478 who would have built the castle. The blazon for their coat of arms was: "Gules two pales of vair, in chief of Or". Abzac then passed to the Béraudière family whose blazon for their coat of arms was "Quarterly of Or a double-headed eagle in gules and azure, a cross of argent couped and fourchee" then the Rochechouart family which explains how it was that Françoise Athénaïs Rochechouart of Mortenart Marquise de Montespan stayed there with her brother. Their blazon was "barry wavy in Argent and gules of six" emblem is found in hearths.

Administration

The commune of Abzac was founded in the Canton of Saint-Germain then became ''Abjac'' in the Canton of Confolens. In 1801 the commune returned to the name ''Abzac'' in the Canton of Confolens-Sud. List of Successive Mayors of Abzac

Population

Distribution of Age Groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Abzac and Charente Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Abzac (16001)
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Economy

The Delage tile factory and Bonnaud & son brick factory, built in the early 20th century, ceased operation in 1970 and 1987 respectively. The Malmanche tile and brick factory was built at Chardat in the 1920s and 1930s with a Hoffman kiln which was replaced in the 1970s by a tunnel kiln. Another Malmanche tile factory was built in 1979 with a gas-powered tunnel furnace, a dryer, and a continuous Unicerar press. It employed 16 people in 1989. The Chardat Brick factory completes the industrial activity. In trades there are two masons, one electrician, an agricultural contractor, a horticulturist, a landscaper, a mechanic, and a body shop.

Facilities

Education

The public elementary school is located in the village with has two classrooms. It is part of an inter-communal teaching group (RPI) which includes other schools in the communes of Brillac and Oradour-Fanais for kindergarten, and Abzac, Lesterps, and Lessac for elementary. The RPI is called ''Boreall''. The nearest college is at Confolens.

Other services

These are found in other communes, the nearest being in Availles-Limouzine in

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Fell Pony The Fell pony is a versatile working breed of mountain and moorland pony originating on Cumberland and Westmorland farms of northwest England and is used for riding and driving. The breed is closely related to its geographic neighbour, the ...

'' who promote race Fell ponies and encourage the development of a natural ecosystem.Page on Abzac on the Community of Communes of Confolentais
The Brotherhood of Saints Lucius and Emeritus of Abzac was created in 2006 to bring together in a fraternal association the inhabitants of the town of Abzac and participate in the organization of the ''Ostensions septennial'' and ceremonies attached to it.

Festivals

On the 1st Sunday in August there is the employer and communal festival. According to limousine tradition the ''Ostensions septennial'' take place in Abzac where the relics of Saints Lucius and Emeritus are venerated and conserved by the parish. The Ostensions start on Easter Monday (13 April in 2009 until 3pm).

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has several sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The Tuilerie Delage (Delage Tile and Brick factory) (20th century) *The Tuilerie Bonnaud et Fils (Bonnaud and son Tile and Brick factory) (20th century) *The Tuilerie Malmanche frères (Malmanche Brothers Tile and Brick factory) (20th century) *The Tuilerie Malmanche (Malmanche Tile and Brick factory) (1979) *The Chateau of Serre (15th century) was rebuilt in the 17th century. The interior has an antechamber before the Duke of Vivonne's rooms with a painted alcove. There is also a room on the second floor decorated with murals. The plaque in the fireplace in the room on the first floor displays the arms of Rochechouart-Mortemart. abzac fayolle2

;Other sites of interest *The Chateau of Fayolle has a dungeon dating to the 13th century, a round tower with stairs, a polygonal tower, and lodgings from the 18th century with a

mansard A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

roof. *The Lodgings of Monette belonged to the Tisseuil and the Garnier de la Boissiere families. It was rebuilt in the 19th century. *The Lodgings of Tuffas has a main building and a round tower at the gatehouse from the 17th century. *The Rectory farm could date from the 17th century. It belonged to the Tisseuil family and was bequeathed by Marie-Philippe-Gaston Rousiers on his death in 1920 to be used as a rectory. Above a door is the inscription "19.4.1921" and "DON.G. de ROUSIERS". Today it is the rectory for the parish. *The

Lavoir A lavoir (wash-house) is a public place set aside for the washing of clothes. Communal washing places were common in Europe until industrial washing was introduced, and this process in turn was replaced by domestic washing machines and by laun ...

(Public laundry) and Fountain at Saint Sulpice probably had healing powers and was where processions were held.

Religious Heritage

The Church of Saint-Sulpice from the 13th century is in the early Gothic style. At the end of the Choir Enclosure, the communion table is an

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

sculpture from the early 17th century. The table consists of four members including two doors. The balustrades are decorated with leaves and topped with

Ionic capitals The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite o ...

, pilasters with a foliated stand, a console, and a sculpted head. Two elements of this table are reused as a pulpit. The relics of the saints Lucius and Emerite are preserved at Abzac. In 1670

Pope Clement IX Pope Clement IX ( la, Clemens IX; it, Clemente IX; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Biography Ear ...

offered to

Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duke of Mortemart (25 August 1636 – 15 September 1688) was a French nobleman and member of the ancient House of Rochechouart. His father Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart was a childhood friend of ...

, Duke of Vivonne (1636-1688), then ambassador of the King of France in Rome, the relics of Saint Lucius and Saint Emeritus, two martyrs of the primitive church. However the Duke of Vivonne, marshal of France, brother of

Madame de Montespan Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

, was the Squire of Serre at Abzac which he inherited from his mother, Diane de Grandsaigne, and it was in the chapel of Serre that the relics were of first placed where they were venerated by the people. The relics were sent to Paris in 1758 in order to manufacture new shrines and they were divided into three parts: *The two largest pieces were locked in two copper shrines with silver ornaments and sent to the castle of ''La Forge à Verrières'' in

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 ...

and are now kept at

Montmorillon Montmorillon () is a commune in central-western France, in the Vienne department of which it is a sub-prefecture, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Its inhabitants are called ''Montmorillonnaises'' ''and Montmorillonnais''. Montmorillon is a Book town an ...

. *Two small shrines sent to Manneville Castle in the

Diocese of Rouen The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Ar ...

were returned to Abzac in September 1865. "Two other large shrines of ebony thirteen to fourteen pouces (inches) long and about nine wide and ten deep which was also covered in ebony with a pyramid supporting a silver cross - also with glass framed by a silver blade - divided by a shelf covered with crimson satin" contained most of the bones of the two martyrs and were offered to the parish of Abzac in 1762 by Jean-Victor, Duke of Mortemarts (1712-1771). On 16 July 1762 the relics were verified by Philippe Rabilhac, pastor of Oradour-Fanais, and on 26 July 1762 Monseigneur du Plessis of Argentré,

Bishop of Limoges The Roman Catholic Diocese of Limoges (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lemovicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Limoges'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the '' départments'' of Haute-Vienne and Cr ...

, gave Abzac parish permission to display and worship them. Since then they have been in the custody of the priest and the people of Abzac and are used, in the limousine custom, in the Ostensions septennial. The church contains three items that are registered as historical objects: *A Statue: Saint Roch (17th century) *A Statue: Virgin and child (17th century) *The Choir Enclosure (17th century) The Church of Chardat was created in 1930 in an old house.

Environmental heritage

*The Étang du Sérail (Serail Pond) *The Font Radareu which was used to supply the military is located on the old imperial road D951 near the hamlet of ''Chaumont''. *The Vienne Valley and streams for fishing. *The Eaux d'Availles or Fontaines Salées (Waters of Availles or Salty Fountains) are located in the communes of Availles-Limouzine and Abzac on the D99 near the right bank of the

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

and forest birds that are rare in the region. It has the status of a

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

with flora and fauna of type I.Forest of Monette
Ed. National Museum of Natural History, Jean-Pierre Sardin