Archingeay

Archingeay
Commune
Archingeay Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine region Archingeay
Coordinates: 45°55′54″N 0°42′17″W / 45.9317°N 0.7047°W / 45.9317; -0.7047Coordinates: 45°55′54″N 0°42′17″W / 45.9317°N 0.7047°W / 45.9317; -0.7047
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement	Saint-Jean-d'Angély
Canton	Saint-Jean-d'Angély
Intercommunality	Pays Savinois
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Rémi Lamare
Area1	16.61 km2 (6.41 sq mi)
Population (2009)2	637
• Density	38/km2 (99/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	17017 /17380
Elevation	2–47 m (6.6–154.2 ft) (avg. 24 m or 79 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Archingeay is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arcantois or Arcantoises^[1]

Geography

Archingeay is located some 32 km south of Surgeres and 30 km east of Rochefort. Access to the commune is by the D114 road which branches off the D739E south of Tonnay-Boutonne and continues south through the commune and village to Saint-Savinien. The D122 also goes south-west from the village to join the D124 which continues to Bords. The D122E1 also goes east from the village to Beaujouet. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of:

The commune is mixed forest and farmland.

The Boutonne river forms much of the north-western border of the commune with a network of irrigation canals covering the western part of the commune. Le Pepin stream rises south of the village and flows west into the Boutonne.^[2]

Toponymy

The name may come from the name of the Roman general Arcantius.

History

This commune had an Abbey which has completely disappeared.

In the past, Archingeay enjoyed a flourishing period, mainly due to a hot spring near the Chateau of the Valley to the west of Archingeay and renowned for its therapeutic properties (digestive diseases, skin etc.). Among other famous spa guests, the Roman general Arcantius took its waters.

Until the attack of phylloxera there was manufacturing of pottery, bricks and tiles, and wine production.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[3]

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2009 the commune had 637 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.^{[Note 1]}

Distribution of Age Groups

The population of the town is relatively old. The ratio of persons above the age of 60 years (28.3%) is higher than the national average (21.6%) and the departmental average (28.1%). Unlike the national and departmental proportions, the male population of the town is greater than the female population (50.1% against 48.4% nationally and 48.2% at the departmental level).

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Archingeay and Charente-Maritime Department in 2009

	Archingeay	Archingeay	Charente-M	Charente-M
Age Range	Men	Women	Men	Women
0 to 14 Years	22.0	21.9	17.2	15.1
15 to 29 Years	13.1	12.4	16.5	14.4
30 to 44 Years	18.9	19.2	18.7	17.9
45 to 59 Years	18.0	16.9	21.0	20.8
60 to 74 Years	16.8	17.5	17.2	17.8
75 to 89 Years	11.0	10.7	9.0	12.4
90 Years+	0.3	1.5	0.5	1.5

Sources:

• Evolution and Structure of the population of the Commune in 2009, INSEE.
• Evolution and Structure of the population of the Department in 2009, INSEE.

Church of Saint Martin

Sites and Monuments

The Trésors de Lisette Museum

• The Romanesque Church of Saint Martin (12th century) is registered as an historical monument.^[4] It has sculptures at the south door and both interior and exterior corbels depicting life at the time. the main Altar and Tabernacle (18th century) are registered as an historical object.^[5]
• A Ferruginous Fountain known by the Romans for healing properties (skin diseases). In the Gallo-Roman period, the Roman general Arcantius spent time at the spa.
• A Lavoir (Public Laundry) dating from Roman times.
• The Trésors de Lisette Museum which presents family life in the early 20th century with one of the largest exhibitions of old culinary objects in Europe. It opens during June, July and August from 3 p.m. (15:00) to 7 p.m. (19:00).

Notable People linked to the commune

• Saint Malo, who founded the city of Saint-Malo, died at Archingeay.
• Arcantius, a Roman general who took the waters of a thermal spring at La Vallée which was renowned for its therapeutic properties
• The Montaigne Family who lived in the Chateau of the Valley.

See also

• Communes of the Charente department

Notes and references

References

1. ↑ Inhabitants of Charente-Maritime (in French)
2. 1 2 Google Maps
3. ↑ List of Mayors of France
4. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00104596 Church of Saint Martin (in French)
5. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM17000012 Altar and Tabernacle (in French)

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