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Aulnay, Charente-Maritime

Coordinates: 46°01′18″N 0°20′44″W / 46.0217°N 0.3455°W / 46.0217; -0.3455
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Aulnay
Commune
Town hall and war memorial
Town hall and war memorial
Coat of arms of Aulnay
Coat of arms
Location of Aulnay
Map
Aulnay is located in France
Aulnay
Aulnay
Aulnay is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Aulnay
Aulnay
Coordinates: 46°01′18″N 0°20′44″W / 46.0217°N 0.3455°W / 46.0217; -0.3455
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentCharente-Maritime
ArrondissementSaint-Jean-d'Angély
CantonMatha
IntercommunalityCC Vals Saintonge
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Stéphane Chedouteaud[1]
Area
1
30.97 km2 (11.96 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
1,359
 • Density44/km2 (110/sq mi)
DemonymAulnaysien.ne
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
17024 /17470
Elevation32–107 m (105–351 ft)
(avg. 54 m or 177 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Aulnay, commonly referred to as Aulnay-de-Saintonge (French pronunciation: [onɛ də sɛ̃tɔ̃ʒ]), is a commune in Charente-Maritime, a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), France.

Geography

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Aulnay is located on the Via Turonensis. one of the Ways of St. James some 45 km east by south-east of Surgères and 17 km north-east of Saint-Jean-d'Angély.

The commune invoices the village of La Cressoniere west of the town, Pinsenelle north-west of the town, and Salles-lès-Aulnay east of the town. Apart from the urban area of the town the commune is entirely farmland.[3]

The entry to Aulnay on the D133 coming from Néré

Hydrography

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The Brédoire river flows through the commune and the town from east to west to join the Boutonne at Nuaillé-sur-Boutonne. Although a small river the Brédoire flooded the town in December 1982. The Palud flows through the north of the commune from the east to join the Brédoire at La Cressoniere. The Saudrenne flows from the east in the south of the commune forming part of the southern border before continuing to join the Boutonne at Saint-Pardoult.[3]

History

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Aulnay during the Roman Empire

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Formerly called Aunedonnacum in the itinerary of Antoninus Pius and Auedonnaco in the Tabula Peutingeriana.[citation needed]

Aulnay in the Middle Ages

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War memorial at Salles-lès-Aulnay

As the capital of a fiscal jurisdiction Aulnay was already the seat of a lordship in 925, as evidenced by the donation made by Cadelon I to several abbeys. The Viscounts of Aulnay (or Viscounts of Aunay) were descendants of other noble families in Poitou and Saintonge and lived in a castle which was demolished in 1818 but whose tower still remains.[4][5]

Aulnay in the contemporary era

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A common name for Aulnay is Aulnay-de-Saintonge but under the Ancien Régime Aulnay (often spelled Aunay) did not belong to the province of Saintonge but to the Province of Poitou and the Diocese of Poitiers.

By decree dated 12 December 1973 the commune of Salles-lès-Aulnay merged with the commune of Aulnay.

Aulnay is the capital of the canton of Aulnay-de-Saintonge which has the largest extent in the department of Charente-Maritime.

Heraldry

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Arms of Aulnay
Arms of Aulnay
 Or, a pale the same between four lozenges of Gules posed in pale.[6]



Administration

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The Town Hall
The countryside with the town in the background

List of Successive Mayors[7]

From To Name
1920 1929 Roger Chapeaud
1933 1967 Roger Chapeaud
1967 1989 Pierre Chapeaud
1989 2001 Bernadette Guillard
2001 2014 Jean-Mary Collin
2014 2020 Charles Bellaud
2020 2026 Stéphane Chedouteaud

Demography

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The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aulnaysiens or Aulnaysiennes in French.[8]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,301—    
1800 1,250−0.57%
1806 1,368+1.51%
1821 1,343−0.12%
1831 1,525+1.28%
1836 1,754+2.84%
1841 1,750−0.05%
1846 1,736−0.16%
1851 1,809+0.83%
1856 1,874+0.71%
1861 2,005+1.36%
1866 2,040+0.35%
1872 1,980−0.50%
1876 1,955−0.32%
1881 1,950−0.05%
1886 1,817−1.40%
1891 1,780−0.41%
1896 1,779−0.01%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 1,675−1.20%
1906 1,540−1.67%
1911 1,598+0.74%
1921 1,443−1.02%
1926 1,455+0.17%
1931 1,436−0.26%
1936 1,487+0.70%
1946 1,404−0.57%
1954 1,385−0.17%
1962 1,471+0.76%
1968 1,382−1.03%
1975 1,509+1.26%
1982 1,503−0.06%
1990 1,462−0.35%
1999 1,507+0.34%
2007 1,462−0.38%
2012 1,431−0.43%
2017 1,369−0.88%
Source: EHESS[9] and INSEE[10]

Distribution of Age Groups

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The population of the town is older than the departmental average.

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Aulnay and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017

Aulnay Charente-Maritime
Age Range Men Women Men Women
0 to 14 Years 13.6 12.2 16.3 14.3
15 to 29 Years 11.9 8.9 15.4 13.1
30 to 44 Years 11.8 11.2 16.7 16.1
45 to 59 Years 20.5 22.3 20.2 19.9
60 to 74 Years 27.1 25.2 21.1 22.0
75 to 89 Years 13.5 16.7 9.4 12.3
90 Years+ 1.5 3.6 1.0 2.4

Source: INSEE[10][11]

Culture and heritage

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The Chateau Tower

Civil heritage

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The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

  • The Minargent Distillery (1910)[12]
  • A Chateau (13th century)[13]
  • A Dairy Factory (1926)[14]

Religious heritage

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The Church of Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

  • A Cemetery Cross (14th century)[15]
  • The Church of Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay (12th century).[16] One of the finest surviving Romanesque churches. It is also classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is unknown why the church was built so far from the town but it may be related to the site of an old cemetery along the Roman road. At the end of the 11th century the building that preceded it belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Cyprien in Poitiers who, around 1045, received part of the burial rights and wax offerings from the church as evidenced by a donation by Ranulfe Rabiole. Pierre II, Bishop of Poitiers, around 1100 confirmed the ownership of the church by the monastery and Pope Calixtus II followed his example in 1119. In 1135 however, the parish belonged to the Chapter of Poitiers Cathedral which retained its rights until the French Revolution. Papal bulls dated 1149 and 1157 list the Aulnay church in the list of properties of Canons who were calculating their costs. The church is particularly famous for the early-twelfth-century sculpture on its south and west doorways; it is among the most often discussed examples of this form of Romanesque art.[17] Numerous oriental influences can be seen in its designs. For example, the first arc of one doorway is said to be inspired by Oriental designs.[18] Designs of elephants also originate from Oriental designs.[19] The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
    • A Painting: Christ with doctors (17th century)[20]
    • A Statue: Saint Peter as Pope (15th century)[21]
    • A Stoup (12th century)[22]
  • UNESCO plaque
    UNESCO plaque
  • The Cemetery Cross
    The Cemetery Cross
  • The front of the church
    The front of the church
  • The Church of Saint-Pierre
    The Church of Saint-Pierre
  • The south entrance to the Church
    The south entrance to the Church
  • Portal of Eglise Saint-Pierre, Aulnay-de-Saintonge, mid-12th century.
    Portal of Eglise Saint-Pierre, Aulnay-de-Saintonge, mid-12th century.
  • Islamic stylistic influence in the Church of Saint-Pierre.
    Islamic stylistic influence in the Church of Saint-Pierre.
  • Capital with elephants on the Church
    Capital with elephants on the Church
  • A Church window
    A Church window
  • The south side of the Church
    The south side of the Church
  • Detail of the south side
    Detail of the south side
  • The Bell Tower
    The Bell Tower
  • The Stoup
    The Stoup
  • The Nave of the Church
    The Nave of the Church
  • The cemetery next to the Church
    The cemetery next to the Church
  • The Church of Notre-Dame (12th century)[23] The Church contains one item that is registered as an historical object:
  • The Church of Notre-Dame
    The Church of Notre-Dame
  • Church of Notre-Dame entrance
    Church of Notre-Dame entrance
  • Capitals in the Church of Notre-Dame
    Capitals in the Church of Notre-Dame
  • Stained glass in the Church of Notre-Dame
    Stained glass in the Church of Notre-Dame

Sports

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Football is the main sport of the commune with a regional club which in 1976 was the winner of the Challenge Central-West.[25]

See also

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Notes and references

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Google Maps
  4. ^ E. Lefèvre-Pontalis, Memoir in Archaeological Congress of France at Angoulême in 1912, Vol. I, 1913, Delesques, Caen. (in French)
  5. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00104602 Chateau Tower (in French)
  6. ^ Gaso.fr Archived 2010-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  8. ^ "Le nom des habitants du 17 - Charente-Maritime - Habitants". www.habitants.fr. Archived from the original on 9 May 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  9. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Aulnay, EHESS (in French).
  10. ^ a b "Évolution et structure de la population en 2017 − Commune d'Aulnay (17024) | Insee". www.insee.fr. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  11. ^ Évolution et structure de la population en 2017: Département de la Charente-Maritime (17)
  12. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA17000315 Minargent Distillery (in French)
  13. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00104602 Chateau (in French)
  14. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA17000314 Dairy Factory (in French)
  15. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00104603 Cemetery Cross (in French)
  16. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00104605 Church of Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay (in French)
  17. ^ Tcherikover, Anat (1997). High Romanesque sculpture in the Duchy of Aquitaine, c. 1090-1140. Clarendon studies in the history of art. Oxford : New York: Clarendon Press ; Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-817410-3.
  18. ^ Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine (Paris, France), ed. (2010). Guide du Musée des monuments français à la Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine. Paris: D. Carré. p. 48. ISBN 978-2-915755-20-6. Sculpted in relief, the first arch on the portal of Aulnay-de-Saintonge is covered with griffons and centaurs of Eastern inspiration
  19. ^ "The representations of elephants on a capital of the church of Aulnay takes its model from the décor of ivory, fabrics, and silks of the Orient" in Cité de L'Architecture et du Patrimoine, Guide du Musée p.48, ISBN 978-2-915755-20-6 (in French)
  20. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM17000031 Painting: Christ with doctors (in French)
  21. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM17000030 Statue: Saint Peter as Pope (in French)
  22. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM17000029 Stoup (in French)
  23. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00104604 Church of Notre-Dame (in French)
  24. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM17000032 Baptismal font (in French)
  25. ^ "Site officiel Ligue du Centre-Ouest : Challenge Centre-Ouest". lco.fff.fr. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
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