Confolens

Confolens (to pronounce) (Occitan: Confolent ) is a common Frenchwoman, located the department of the Charente and the area Poitou-Charentes, place of history and culture, world capital of arts and popular traditions of the World, known for its festival, the festival of Confolens

Geography

Confolens is located at the confluence of the Vienna and Goire. This situation is at the origin of its name. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the department of Charente.
To approximately 60/70 km of the three close regional big cities (Limoges, Angouleme, Poitiers), Confolens constitutes because of its relative distance of these urban poles, an intermediate center whose development is autonomous.
At 40 minutes of the airport of Limoges, at one hour of the Atlantic TGV (Poitiers), located on the East-West axis " Center - Europe - Atlantique" , point dispersal towards " the arc atlantique" Nantes - La Rochelle - Bordeaux, Confolens is a reception and crossing point.
In 1982, the population again exceeds the 3000 inhabitants, before knowing a light bending: the census of 1999 counted 2855 inhabitants without double account. The census partial of 2004, with the double accounts, made state of 3065 inhabitants.

Aujourd´hui, the population of Confolens includes/understands nearly 32% people of more than 60 years (against 21% at the national level) and 33% of hearths not counting to qu´une anybody. L´hôpital and the two old people's homes are the principal employers of the city. L´usine Legrand, with 200 employees, is as for him the first industrial employer. Only a score d´établissements on the 180 of common counts more than 10 paid. Many houses of the downtown area are unoccupied or repurchased like second home (3,8% of the 1388 residences counted in 1999 by l´Insee), in particular by nationals of Great Britain and the Netherlands, which results in a positive migratory balance of almost 1% between 1990 and 1999.

the district of Confolens of a surface 141,508 ha 72 has, is limited to north by the department of the Vienna, in the west, by the districts of Ruffec and Angouleme, and with the east, by the department of the High-Vienna. This district presents two distinct areas and two cultures: the calcareous area and the granitic area. The latter produces cold and argillaceous grounds in which one collects rye, sweet chestnut and buckwheat; many brooks there run sides of the slopes and sprinkle many meadows where pass from many cattle, by liming, one corrects the bad quality of the ground and one obtains cereals.

the canton of Confolens is limited to North by the departments of Vienna and High-Vienna, in the west, by the canton of Champagne-Sheep, in the east, by the department of High-Vienna, in the south, by the cantons of Saint-Claud and Chabanais. Of a surface of 52,455 ha 22 it has is in the basin of Vienna. It is ccupé in greater part by granitic ground, some scraps of the Jurassic ground and tertiary ground.

History

linguistic Frontière enters the language of oil and the language of oc.
City strengthened with the the Middle Ages.
Commanderie of the Holy Spirit at the 12th century, the 18th century, the vault having been used for the penitent white in 1656.
the area was populated as of the prehistoric time as testify some to many monuments megalithic. But, it is mentioned Confolens only at the 11th century.
This agglomeration created by the lords of Chabanais was separate into two by Vienna and each bank depended on a different diocese. * This organization between two dioceses is extremely rare, it shows the situation of frontier town well.
At the 12th century, of the fortifications was built to protect the principality from its powerful neighbors: counts of Walk and Poitou.
At the 16th century, it émancipe of the supervision of Chabanais. The construction of the markets affirms its role of turntable between the coast which provides salt, the Angoumois and Saintonge which give their wines, and the Limousin supplier of leather and wood.
the baronnie that it became is set up in county in 1604 by the king Henri IV.
At the XVIIe century, three important religious establishments are built in periphery of the zones then urbanized of Confolens: the convent of the récollets, the convent of the clarisses and the house of the sisters of charity.
In 1714, l´élection of Confolens, jusqu´alors attached to the general information of Limoges, returns to the general information of Poitiers, whereas the baronnie of Champagne-Sheep leaves l´élection of Niort to gain that of Confolens. But the suburb of Goire remains in the general information of Limoges.
In 1764, the consulate of Confolens is removed and replaced by a mayor and aldermen. These loads elective until 1774 then are established as offices.

A deliberation of the body of the town of Confolens, dated April 5th, 1777, indicates that the Old Bridge was always defended by its three towers known as of Saint-Maxime, of Semi and of St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Their vestiges were demolished by it in 1777-1778, during repairs carried out on the bridge.

Southern part, the city was protected by a rampart doubled from a ditch, embanked about 1750/1760 to facilitate the passage between the street Bournadour and the old Saint-Michel parish, and become since the street of the Hillocks.
the demolition of the decayed walls and the filling of the ditches of the district of Fontorse and St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre were decided in 1771. This work made it possible to give work to the unemployed of the workshops of charity and gave rise to the alleys of Blossac, which finished towards Vienna by a monumental staircase in arc of circle.
In 1791, the layout of the limit of the commune of Confolens, divided jusqu´alors between three principal parishes and two évêchés, gives place to discussions. Several buildings are seized or sold like quite national: l´hôtel Dassier-of-Brushes, the palate of l´élection, the manor of the counts, the keep, etc the city becomes seat of sub-prefecture. The 30 brumaire year II (November 20th, 1794), the titles and papers pointing out the feudal rights are burned on the public place (act transcribed by Babinet de Rencogne, 1865).
the cadrastal map of 1826 gives us a state of the city before important work qu´elle will know in the three following decades.
the main roads passed then by l´étroite street of the Sun and the bridge on Goire. In spite of the demolition of the drawbridge and door of Goire, this passage remained too narrow. A new bridge is thus built downstream in 1840, and the street known as of the Bridge-Larréguy is bored through a preexistent small island. Always with the aim of facilitate circulation, a plan d´alignement is drawn up by l´agent-voyer Vincent in October 1840. Even s´il n´est definitively approved qu´en 1873, the shops leant with l´église Saint-Maxime and a small small island builds on what becomes the place of the Market start to be demolished. The batter of the frontages on the Main street, become street of the Maquis-Foch, provided as of this time, will n´interviendra finally that later. In a concern d hygiene, in the same years 1840, the Saint-Maxime cemetery, located at the junction of Goire, is transferred, with the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre cemetery, for l exterior of the city, and a slaughter-house, is intended to avoid demolitions by the butcheries dispersed in the city, built with this site.

In 1848, the national workshops are created to reabsorb unemployment in France. Within this framework, it is decided to build a new bridge on Vienna, with l´amont of the Pont-Vieux. Its site is envisaged at the exit of the monumental staircases of the alleys of Blossac. Perhaps the surge of the workmen explains the demographic peak of the census of 1851 (the population of Confolens passes from 2787 inhabitants in 1846 to 3113 in 1851, before going down again to 2720 in 1861).

construction d´édifices public continues: the sub-prefecture, jusqu´alors lodged in rented buildings, is built on the plans d´Abadie in 1853, the prisons (close to l´actuel Hotel-of-City) by the same architect in 1857/1859, finally the law courts, of which l´emplacement is lengthily discussed, by l´architecte departmental Dubacq in 1868.
the station of Confolens is inaugurated in 1887. It receives only the trains initially coming from Roumazières. L´extension of the line towards Vigeant is open on May 1st, 1901, and c´est finally in July 1913 that the section of Small-Mairat, tram with vapor on narrow gauge railway, allows a connection in addition to five hours d´Angoulême Confolens by Champagne-Sheep. The sector of the station and l´entrée of city towards Poitiers (street Auguste Duclaud) develops with the end of XIXe and the beginning of the XXe century.
In 1891, the population of Confolens totals 3068 inhabitants.

The concern is then to equip the city d´une new market covered, old s´étant the gradually ploughed up ones during the XIXe century. C´est finally l´architecte Wiart which is retained, with a project with metal frame which made run d´encre much. Located near l´abattoir, the building is opened with the transactions at the end of 1893.

After the First World War, the population of Confolens s´effondre: if the conflict made a hundred victims, the population loses nearly 500 people between the censuses of 1911 and 1921, passing from 3088 to 2551.
the principal building site of the years 1920 is the transfer to l´abattoir with l exterior of the city, near the station (current workshops municipal, known as the Casino). The prisons are closed in 1926. In addition, the railway line Confolens it Vigeant is closed with the passenger traffic in 1938, but the goods traffic is maintained until 1978. The way is displaced in October 1979, and the southern section from now on is used for tourism (bicycle-rail).
In l´entre two wars, the population of Confolens goes up gradually.
In the years 1950, a college is built close to St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, then a new gendarmerie (1958). In years 1960/1970, the city benefits from the prosperity of the Thirty glorious ones and several important projects are concluded: the new most important slaughter-house (1970/1978), of France for caprinés, the first allotments (as from 1963 and especially 1970), a new college with l exterior of the city (1973), the by-pass of skirting of the city (1976), the central library of loan (become additional of the departmental library of loan of Charente). Two commercial and industrial zones with vocation are born in periphery of the city, with the entries north (road of Poitiers) and south (road of Limoges).

Description of the city

Built of share and d´autre of Vienna, the town of Confolens is located at 65 km d´Angoulême, 55 km of Limoges and 70 km of Poitiers. In 1999, l´Insee counted 1388 residences. General L´Inventaire of the cultural heritage, carried out into 2004/2005, studied approximately 650 buildings in the agglomerated part of the downtown area and 70 in the peripheral and rural zone.
major road L´axe crossing l´arrondissement, the RN 141, passes to nearly 20 km to the south of the city. Confolens thus did not n´apparaît in a strict sense like the city-center of l´arrondissement and, with the economic plan, it must take into account the competition of Chasseneuil-on-Bonnieure, Roumazières-Loubert and Chabanais which lay out d´un denser network d´entreprises and are connected much better to Angouleme and Limoges. This insulation seems reinforced since l´été 2006 by l´interdiction to circulate of weight-heavy on the RD 951 (axis Saint-Claud-Bellac, which was a minor road of the traffic between Angouleme and Limoges).

the town of Confolens is located at the junction (from which it draws its name) of Vienna and Goire. Frontier town, it is divided by Vienna between the dioceses of Limoges on Right Bank and diocese of Poitiers on left bank. In 1791, the common one was made up starting from the parishes of Saint-Maxime, St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Saint-Michel and to some extent Esse and Ansac. Its surface covers 19 kilometer-squares. Nowadays, Vienna constitutes the separative limit between the cantons of northern Confolens and southern Confolens. Sit of sub-prefecture, Confolens east nevertheless a commune little densément populated (151 inhabitants per kilometer-square).
As regards public transport, the railway service road for travellers of Confolens by the Smallone disappeared shortly after the Release. Aujourd´hui, the station nearest, that of Roumazières-Loubert, is to 17 km (Angouleme-Limoges line). Moreover, as regards public transport, it n exist plus any service road of Confolens bound for Limoges or Poitiers nor even of possibilities of folding back towards SNCF railway stations closest to Chabanais and Roumazières. Only l´axe Confolens-Angouleme is served twice a day by an officially agreed road link by the Department of Charente but which requires more than 2 hours to traverse the way.

the territory of the commune of Confolens can be divided into three entities:

- the urban area divided by Vienna;
- the perish-urban zone with a residential individual habitat, allotments and industrial and commercial parks;
- the rural area.

THE RURAL AREA

On the territory of the commune of Confolens, the rural area is not distinguished from what was observed on the territory of the community of communes. The majority of firm are reproduced on the chart of Cassini (fine of the XVIIIe century) and on the land register of 1826. Some of these farms are altered too much and were thus not studied: At-Barrat, Borders it, the Dimension, the Gardens (in the west of the alleys of Blossac), the Barn-Boireau, Papauds. Others disappeared and only toponymy has a memory of it, as for the hamlet of Fanouillac. In the same way, the many huts of vine growers have almost all disappeared: in the north and the west of Essandries (old pieces has 252,245, which always exists under number OA 159 but was not visited, has 237, has 231), on the plate which dominates the quay of Goire (pieces has 120,119 and 294 registered AD 41, not visited today). The extracts of the old land register of these variations are related to a specific card variations.

ZONE PERI-URBAINE

The periphery of the city is occupied by some allotments or groups of houses which little by little joined l ancian fairground which was held around Commanderie. The organizations with concerted plans are rare. Certain public corporations were pushed back at the XXe century in the periphery the such gendarmerie and the college. It is also in this zone that some villas and manors are, as well as the retail parks. Only one building HLM was built in 1965, with l´emplacement of l ancian fairground St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. The other houses of this zone concern suburban l´aménagement: they in ground floor with a maximum stage, are rather surrounded d´un garden. In the three allotments, only a small portion has a concerted plan, and some concern the social housing. The two industrial retail parks and, road of Poitiers and road of Limoges, do not present special character. To note however that on the road of Lessac, beyond the station, are joined together to l´abattoir, the help center and the new gymnasium, whereas the gendarmerie, the college and the two old people's homes are located at the accesses of the road of Limoges. The camp-site and the station d epuration were installed on Right Bank of Vienna, on the road of Saint-Germain. The stage, the swimming pool and the equipment are on the d´Ansac-on-Vienna commune, with a third zone with commercial vocation.

THE URBAN AREA

Within Confolens at the XVIIIe century, the city is limited to the zone included in the ramparts between Vienna and Goire. The other parts are mentioned like suburbs: " parish the false borough St-Michel " ; " fauxbourg of the bridge of Goire " ; " fauxbourg of Ansac " ; " suburb of Fontorse contained in the doors of " city; ; " fauxbourg of St Barthelemy ". The presence of Vienna led the city to develop in two great units, left bank (districts of Fontorse and St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre) and Right Bank, limited between Vienna and Goire and which extends to the Saint-Michel district. The city s´organisait around the three churches, St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Saint-Maxime and Saint-Michel. It concentrates:
- the administrative center: keep, palate of l´élection and the Room with the Middle Ages; town hall, courts, prisons, college, college, gendarmerie, sub-prefecture, etc for l´époque contemporary; the majority of these buildings knew several successive sites which are represented on levels separated so d´en to facilitate comprehension;
- a shopping mall: shops, fairs, markets, inns and hotels of travellers;
- a residential center: individual, real residences. The various occupations of the urban center are closely frays in very dense built fabric, where are côtoient houses with wood sides (an about sixty, with a stage and a roof with addition), private mansions (a dozen) and houses of city. The investment properties are rare. The buildings are higher in the district Saint-Maxime (R+2 or R+3) that in l ancian Saint-Michel parish or on l´autre bank, districts of Fontorse and St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (R+1). The trade, which occupy the ground floors, concentrate especially in l ancian Saint-Maxime district, in the streets which surround this church. Many shops are however aujourd´hui abandoned.

Administration

city council men

Bernard Guy, Canon Mariline, Champaloux Jean-Pierre, Delafont Claudine, Desbordes Pierre, Deville Danielle, Diez Christophe, Frouin Annie, Leroy Christian, Margalef Claudine, Michelet Jean-Paul, Morand Jacques-Olivier, Quintanne Martine, Valley Andre, Sells Therese, Weller Michel.

School infrastructures

Nursery schools Clairefontaine and Chantefleur
Pierre Public school and Marie Curie with the buildings nine.
School Gauthier Saint: private Religious establishment) of the nursery school with 3rd.
College Secondary education No5el Christmas
General-purpose College Emile Roux which also prepares with the BTS accountancy and management of organizations (BTSCGO) ( Menacé of closing for 2008 ) and BTS local tourist animation and management (BTSAGTL))

Public services

The public services remain quite present with the sub-prefecture, a court d´instance (chaired by a judge d´instance of the TGI d´Angoulême), a police company (with a territorial brigade, a brigade motorized and since l´automne a 2004 research brigade), a center of the taxes (equipped d´une principal receipt), an inspection of national l education, a college d´enseignement general, an hospital equipped d´un service d´urgence, a local agency of l´emploi (ANPE), a district social d´action and a medico-social center of the Department, an agency EDF-GDF, an antenna of the room d´agriculture, an antenna of the guild chamber, a treasury, a subdivision of l´équipement and two colleges (a public and private).

Sporting infrastructures

Stages of Tulette.
Swimming pool of Tulette.
Course of Tennis (interior/external).
Gymnasium Marcel Perrot, Gymnasium of the Station.
Course of health.
Multiple paths VTT, CROSS-COUNTRY RACE, trott,…
Water level…
Center esquestre of Jallais
…

Demography

Economy

The city has an antenna of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Angouleme.

Places and monuments

Bridge out of granite 13th century (MH) known as " Vieux" bridge;. Medieval bridge strengthened and cut of a drawbridge on the side of Fontorse (district of Confolens) until the accesses of (the {XVIIIe century}}. The stone which forms the parapet of upstream carries the date of 1302, and besides, the shape of the piles upstream, as well as the substructions of the three turns which had made give to the city the name " Confolens three tours" and that one can still see during strong heats of the summer, confirm this date well. Formerly, this bridge counted only nine arches, it tenth was added during the removal of the drawbridge. This bridge was repaired in 1777.
Keep 12th century of old the Castle of Confolens. “In spite of its levelling, the keep dominates the city still today. It consists of a tower of square plan, on three levels without buttress, preserved on ten meters height. Built in large granite apparatus with imposing stones in the angles, it preserves, in the center of Western rise, best preserved, a Romance bay covered in semicircular arch which dissimulates a loophole with double splaying” (extracted the Course of the inheritance on Confolens, inserted here by auteures).
Door of Romance city (IMH).
Town hall 17th century (IMH): roast out of wrought iron. Arranged in an old private mansion, the town hall of Confolens is dissociated by its splendid staircase with wrought iron slope of the 18th century. The contiguous garden hides a war memorial years 1920 when Couteilhas, celebrates public sculptor, carried out part of the low-reliefs.
Manor of the counts de Confolens 15th century/16th century (IMH). Built thanks to the initiative of the count of Confolens at the 16th century, the manor Renaissance comprises two original architectural details, a tower staircase and columns with geometrical reasons. On the third floor a vault arched in warheads is. It was with XVIIIe S. property of the family of Marcillac d' Oradour. It was used as prison during the Revolution.
Street of the Sun: houses 15th and 16th with half-timbering, in particular: House of the duke of Epernon 16th (MH). This typical house of XVe century to sides of wood and half-timberings is illustrated by its frontage with beams and sculptures like by its spiral staircase. This residence would have been the gathering place of the conspirators of the escape of Husbands of Médicis in 1619, organized by the duke of Épernon. Street of the Freemasons ; Street of the Doors of Ansac : 4 and 6 (IMH).
Street Theophilus-Gibouin, Private mansions of 15th with 18th (All the foundations are beginning of the Middle Ages).
Bridge on Goire XVe - XVIe S.
Fountain Rebirth of Fontorse.
Castle of Villars 16th (Private property); Garraud castle 16th (Private property); Castle of Villevert (Old strong house of the 14th century) (Private property).
municipal Workshops, old slaughter-house (IMH). “The slaughter-house, in the fields of the departmental architect Baleix, date of the years 1920. Transformed into industrial dairy then reassigned with the commune in 1985, it is currently used as workshop for the engineering services of the city. Because of its remarkable frontage and of its composition, the building is sometimes called the Casino. The concrete was employed for the cornice made up of large dentils, the entablature of the doors, bays, the frame and the posts carrying the frame, marking the appearance in the landscape of industrial material Confolens” (extracted the Course of the inheritance on Confolens, inserted here by auteures).
Market. “The market located on the place was built at the end of the XIXe century according to the plans of the Wiart architect, who took as a starting point that of Cognac. Four rises presented a brick filling in the lower part of rises, but the frontage was entirely glazed at the end of the XXe century. The metal posts, which bear the name of their manufacturer (J. Guerin, founder with Niort), are doubled columns of which the upper part is decorated vegetable reasons. The roof, cover of slate, are bored of a lantern to the glazed vertical parts” (extracted the Course of the inheritance on Confolens, inserted here by auteures).
Bridge on Goire 14th century (IMH).
Old prieurale Saint-Maxime with 2 naves 15th and carries 13th (IMH): frontage with pink; retable, statue and lectern 17th. On this site, a church was built towards 990 and was given to the abbey of Charroux; it passed, at the 12th century, the abbey of Lesterps, which links a priory to him and made rebuild the building at the 13th century, then in 1499. It belonged to the diocese of Limoges. It is composed of a nave with, in the south, collateral narrow of five spans, which separate from the columns receiving the warheads, the beams of the two vaults and the arcades, which penetrate them. Between 1854 and 1867, a bell-tower was high on the southern side, in the West, which involved the disappearance of part of the first column. A pink in the west of the nave, above the principal gate (chief of work). A door, end of XIVe century. A secondary door of the 15th century. Octagonal arrow.
Church St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (MH), Romance. " So certain authors make go up this church in XIe century, it seems in fact, in its actual position, to date from second half of XIIe century.

The priory depended on the abbey of Lesterps whereas the cure belonged to the diocese of Poitiers. Important modifications intervened in XVe century, with in particular the construction of vaults towards the south. A burrow of the priory dating from XVe century is preserved. It results an interesting program from it carved on the bases and the keystones. The bell-tower to some extent was rebuilt in 1630. Paul Abadie studied and makes a statement of this building within the framework of the first work of the commission of the historic buildings in 1840. The old cemetery was on the current square until about 1840. It is registered C 167 on the land register of 1826 " (extracted the file of inventory of the cultural heritage, inserted here by auteures).

Vault of the hospital with retable 17th, altered in 1744 by the addition of a table representing the Crowning of Virgin (MH). The table of origin of this retable is today in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre church. The vault was built between 1641 and 1675 on an order of the clarisses, from where its name of " vault of the convent of the clarisses ". Inside is a retable baroque of the 17th century, historic building since 1909. It is only after the transfer of the Hospital of its old buildings street of the Sun in those of the Convent of Clarisses that it was used quite naturally as vault of the hospital (1792). Behind the furnace bridge a room divided into two with use of sacristy and visiting room was. The vault, reserved for laic, the nuns attended the office, behind a screening grate, in the space on the right of the furnace bridge.

Interior decoration (19th century): side stalls, platform, galleries, confessional. Balustrade which borders the chorus (XVIIe restored XIXe S.); Sculptures in medallion of the givers. Statues of Joseph saint, holy Antoine, holy François d' Assise, holy Claire. The medallion at the top of the retable, crimped tied cords: arms crosseds with marks of François saint and holy Colette de Corbie (covered of a sleeve). Table (1744) copy of a Murillo.

Old vault of the commandery of the Saint Spirit of Montpellier 13th (IMH). Vestige of a medieval hospital held by the hospital ones of the Saint Spirit of Montpellier. The order of the knights of the Saint Spirit was a regular order composed clerks and sisters who ended up allotting the name of Commanders - from where Commanderie. The wars of religion and the Edict of Louis XIV in 1692 involved the suppression about the Saint Spirit. The establishment of Confolens disappeared at dawn from the XVIIIe century and was then sold like national good. The old vault, closed down, with the abandonment, was used as store of fodder, cattle shed, barn, garage… until it becomes property of the commune of Confolens; (December 1st, 1969) and is registered on the additional inventory of the Historic buildings by the ministry for the Cultural Affairs.

This vault is one of very rare about the Saint Spirit remaining in France.

Mill of Goire " 12th century ? " (Private property). Restored at the 19th century, the mill of Goire is always in operation and product of nut oils and colza.
Cinema and old college of Confolens. A convent is founded about 1616 in the south of the Saint-Maxime district, the récollets settle there in 1618 and the vault is devoted in 1622. The sale of these buildings like national goods, then their successive occupations (temple of the Reason, village hall then cinema for the vault; prison, administration of the district then municipal secondary school in 1803, college in 1808 and finally college until 1973 for the convent itself) involved many rehandlings. Cloister remain the corbels which supported the high gallery like some doors and windows.

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