Andilly () 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-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 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 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 an ...

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 ''Andillais'' or ''Andillaises''

Geography

Location

Andilly is a marshy commune in the western part of the

Poitevin Marsh The Marais Poitevin () or Poitevin Marsh is a large area of marshland in western France. The name means "Poitou's Marsh" or the "Marsh of the Poitou region". It is a remnant of what was the former . The western zone near the sea (about two-thi ...

located in the northwest of the Charente-Maritime 6.5 km south of

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 chief town of the canton, and 17 km north-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. Wi ...

, the prefecture of the department.

Setting

The commune includes the town of Andilly, the village of "Sérigny", and a place called "Bel-Air". Andilly belongs to the western or dried-up part of the Poitevin Marsh and is a large grain-producing area. The commune is polbut fgticularly well served by diversion canals, for draining and irrigation. Among these, two major canals cross the commune: the Canal du Curé crosses from east to west and the Canal from Marans to La Rochelle from north to south. Andilly is watered in all the central parts and in the west by the Canal du Curé, which is formed from the lower reaches of the river Cure that is canalised from the commune of Anais. In Andilly, the Canal du Curé has long been called the ''Grand Canal of Andilly'' since its construction in 1771. From north to south, the commune is traversed by the Canal from Marans to La Rochelle, which crosses the Canal du Curé northwest of Andilly town where significant crossing locks were built at a place called the ''Locks of Andilly''. Canal Marans LaRochelle 008

History

*During the

Wars of Religion 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 ...

Andilly was an advanced military post. *There are remains of the castle *There are ruins of a priory and a castle with underground passages *There are also prehistoric underground refuges and relics

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Population

Distribution of Age Groups

The population of the commune is younger than the departmental average. Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Andilly and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Andilly (17008)
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Sites and monuments

*The Dairy and Casein Factory (19th century) is registered as an historical monument. *The Church of Saint Nazaire File:005 Andilly ( 17230 ).JPG, The church of Saint-Nazaire File:019 Andilly ( 17230 ).JPG, The church facade File:010 Andilly ( 17230 ).JPG, The rear of the church *Remains of a medieval castle and a priory.

Transport

Railway Stations and Halts

(

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 ...

) 14.7 km * Aytré (Halt) 16.2 km *

Angoulins Angoulins () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Angoulinois'' or ''Angoulinoises''. Geography Angoulins is located in the north ...

(Halt) 17.6 km * Châtelaillon 20.2 km *

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 co ...

(TGV) 25.4 km

Airports and Aerodromes

15.6 km *Rochefort-Saint-Agnant 40.8 km *

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 ...

48.2 km

Roads

*The D137 crosses the commune from

in the north passing between Andilly town and Serigny and continuing south to Usseau *The D20 connects the D137 to Andilly town and continues south-west to Villedoux *The D202 goes south from the town to Saint-Ouen-d'Aunis *The D112 goes south-east from the town to Longèves

Sports

Andilly was the arrival point of the 1st stage and departure point of the 2nd stage of the

Tour du Poitou-Charentes Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine is a road bicycle race held annually in the former region of Poitou-Charentes (now Nouvelle-Aquitaine) France. It was first held in 1987 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI E ...

in 2004.Tour Poitou-Charentes website