Bran () is a small

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 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 ...

situated 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 inhabitants of Bran are known as ''les Brannais'' and ''les Brannaises''.

Geography

Lieux-dits

Traditional named-places within the commune. Le Bourg, Chez Cottereau, Le Foucaud, Le Vignac, Les Bardes, Les Rouyers, Meslard, Pied Sec, Chez Bruneau, Chez Rouffaud, La Croix Breau, Chez Marpeau, Chez Désiré, Le Moulin Blanc, Le Fief des Sables, Le Morillon, Taillefer, Le Pas de Bran, Chez Bégaud, La Maison d'école.

Neighbouring communes

* Baignes-Sainte-Radegonde ( Charente) to the north * Vanzac to the west * Chantillac ( Charente) to the south

Geology and relief

The commune is located in the

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campani ...

, chalky limestone of the

Upper Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', th ...

which occupies a large southern part of the Charentes. A small eastern part is occupied by a terrain consisting of kaolinic sand, clays and pebbles dating from the

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

. These soils are often forested with maritime pines and constitute the northwestern edge of the Double saintongeaise. Two small streams, the Lariat and the Mathelon, cross the commune and are indirect tributaries of the river

Seugne The Seugne () is an long river in the Charente-Maritime département, in western France, left tributary of the Charente. Its source is in the commune of Montlieu-la-Garde, west of the village. It flows generally north-northwest. North from C ...

History

The region has been occupied since prehistoric times; cut flints have been found in several parts of the commune. Many circular ditches remain from

Protohistory Protohistory is a period between prehistory and history during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in their own writings. For example, in ...

(Bronze or Iron Age), identified by aerial surveys at Pérat, Moulin Blanc and Foucaud. The Gallo-Roman period is marked by a Roman road from Saintes to

Coutras Coutras () is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Coutras station has rail connections to Bordeaux, Angoulême, Périgueux, Brive-la-Gaillarde and Limoges. History The Battle of Coutras, one of the ...

at a place called Le Pérat. This Roman road passed near the

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 ...

villa of Baignes-Saintes-Radegonde at a place called the Petit Moulin (Gadebors), via the Gallo-Roman agglomeration of the plain of Bourelles to the west of the village of Chantillac. This route took the small Roman bridge with a ford located in the town of Polignac to then join the old road called "Charlemagne" before the town of Montguyon. During the Hundred Years' War many underground passages were dug as refuges and to store food, they can still be found at Le Morillon, at Les Rouyers and Chez Bégaud. After the wars the landowners divided up their properties and installed managers who gave their names to many of the existing lieux-dits.

Administration

List of mayors

Population

In 2020, the municipality had 139 inhabitants, an increase of 10% compared to 2014.

Places of interest

L'église Saint-André (St Andrew's Church)

The 12th-century parish church of St. Andrew was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries, and was almost completely destroyed during the

French wars of religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

. Its nave was enlarged in the 15th century and its bell tower was rebuilt in the 19th century. There is an 18th-century limestone pulpit against the south wall of the church. A major restoration of the church was undertaken from 2009 to 2011 followed by inauguration on January 14, 2012. During the restoration several works were undertaken: repair of floors, interior and exterior coatings, opening of an obstructed mullion window, stained glass installation, clearing of the crypt with access grid, installation of lighting and an electric heating system. A large tableau above the altar, which had been covered with black paint, was cleaned, revealing an 18th-century painting of the crucifixion. Improvements to the area surrounding the church were carried out in 2016. Airedeloisier

Recreation area

The recreation area is located adjacent to a lake at Les Trois Moulins and is equipped with a covered pavilion with barbecue, a picnic area with tables and seats, children's games and a petanque area. An annual festival is held in the recreation area in August. The lake is used for regular fishing events. Stebarbe-

La Croix Sainte Barbe (St Barbara's Cross)

Located at the intersection of the hamlets of Rouffaud and Fiefs des Sables. In the center of the crossroads there was a chapel dedicated to Saint Barbara, virgin of the fourth century, patron saint of Bran. It gave rise to numerous pilgrimages on Whit Monday, in which several communes participated: Chepniers, Baignes, Pouillac, Châtenet, Vanzac, Chantillac, Messac .... Tradition notes that many miracles happened there. This chapel, fallen into ruin, was destroyed in 1866.

Le Moulin de Pépaillé

Located at chez Rouffaud is the remnant of a windmill dating from 1883. It is on the highest point of the commune at 101 m above sea level.