Piriac-sur-Mer

Piriac-sur-Mer is a common French, located in the department of the Loire-Atlantique and the area Pays of the Loire, in the historical area of Brittany.

The inhabitants of the commune are named the Piriacais and Piriacaises . The name of the commune is Penc' herieg into Breton (version rear Ofis Brezhoneg), * Pihiriak in Breton of Batz-on-Sea, spoken locally until the 19th century.

Geography

The commune is with the point of the peninsula of Guérande, on a surface of 1237 ha, that is to say 12 km ². More 9 Km of coasts, fine energy of the sand beaches to cliffs while passing by gravel beaches surrounds the commune.

History

Already occupied site during Prehistory - Mégalithes are still visible there -, Piriac knows also a Gallo-Roman occupation. An archaeological excavation campaign took place in 2005 besides.

Piriac owes its name with Waroch II, Prince (or King) of Valves, who plundered this village in 578 before settling there. It called it " PEN kiriac" , which means into Breton " bad pointe" , or simply " the point of Waroch" , Kiriac being a possible alternative of the name Waroch (Waroch > Guerec > Guiriec > Kiriac). Old forms: Plebs Keriac? 861, Penceriac 867, Pehereac 1330, Pihirriac 1426.

Waroch settled with its " Ost" , to Aula Quiriaca , place says quoted in this form Latinized in the Cartulaire de Redon like in the Breton form Lesguiriac , and located between the current borough and Lérat . This toponym which means " the court, remains of Kiriac" reinforce the assumption of equivalence Kiriac/Waroch.

Under Breton domination since the 6th century, officially integrated into Brittany into 851 with the whole of évêché of Nantes, Piriac belongs to the country guérandais, into Breton Bro Wenrann .

It is estimated that the Breton language was maintained in Piriac until in first half of XIXe S. One is based on a testimony collected towards 1900 by Paulin Benoist at certain Ernest Rio whose father, born in Piriac, had known towards 1830 of the Piriacais old men still speaking the Breton one. There does not exist unfortunately any note nor precise study on the Breton Dialecte spoken formerly in Piriac: this one was probably very close to the Breton of Batz-on-Sea, itself near to the Breton vannetais.

One has only three Breton words collected on the spot by Edouard Richer in 1823: morgouilh , jellyfish, garelé , Plaice (kind of fish), and kourikan , goblin, imp. Nothing proves that it met the Breton-speaking ones: these three words are still employed in local French, who includes/understands many other bretonnisms of which pourhic , " shell grain of café" (of pourc' hig , small pig).

In the same way, toponymy piriacaise is almost exclusively Breton: Point of Castelli (Castellic 1572; of kastellig : small castle), Kervin (Kaeruuen IXe S; of Ker Gwenn : the white village), Closillot also noted Closio (Sclusigo 1572; of skluzigoù : small locks), Port-Kennet (Port Guennec XVe: contains the name of man Guennec ), Kerdrien (K/drean 1572; that is to say Ker Drean), Pierre of Méniscoule (of carry out skoul : the mountain of Milan), Erven ( year ervenn : the furrow), etc

The city was large producing of wine as of the 10th century, but this activity ceased with the epidemic of Phylloxéra (Années 1880). One finds in the countryside around the vestiges of this agriculture, the vines push in the middle of brambles.

It is at the 17th century that Piriac knew full sound economic advancement, fishing being practiced towards Newfoundland. The first mole of the port is built in 1758. The last canning facilities will close during the Années 1970.

Piriac was a strategic place a long time, because it is located close to the mouth of the Vilaine and has moreover an island - the Île Dumet - which a fort occupies always today. Besides the English will hold the island during long decades at the 18th century before being driven out by the French about it. Piriac has several forts of guard along the coast.

Typical village, classified small city of character, Piriac will accommodate in particular Emile Zola, Alphonse Daudet and the other curious ones in search about cultural exoticism.

Today, Piriac-on-sea saw primarily tourism and pleasure. Part of the old village is protected but apart from this zone, Piriac badly resisted the proliferation of carparks and allotments.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

Piriac-on-sea has a port with threshold out of deep water, hold with the pleasure boats and some boats of sin which remain in the port. This port is managed by the Chamber of commerce and of industry of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire.

The center town is of Breton style with hurdy-gurdies charming houses and in its center one, imposing church. The flowered lanes and the walls of granite to the polished stones by time are the theater of the estival animations organized by the commune: concerts, market of the craftsmen and evenings with topic.

Blasonnement

The old blazon is sand to the gold band, stitched on an anchor of gold navy with the currency retineat and salvet.

Personalities related to the commune

Personalities like Emile Zola, Alphonse Daudet or Gustave Flaubert marked by their presence with the 19th century.

See too

Common of the Loire-Atlantique

External bonds

Official site of the town hall
Piriac-sur-Mer on the site of the national geographical Institute
Piriac-sur-Mer on the site of INSEE
Piriac-sur-Mer on the site of Quid
Localization of Piriac-sur-Mer on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Piriac-sur-Mer on Mapquest
Wiki citizen on Piraic

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