Brantôme, Dordogne
Encyclopedia
Brantôme is a commune
in the Dordogne
department in southwestern France.
It is the seat of the canton of Brantôme
. Via Lemovicensis, an ancient Roman Road runs through Brantôme. The commune, which retains its picturesque atmosphere, is situated along the river Dronne
.
next to the Benedictine Abbey of Brantôme, which was founded in 769 by Charlemagne
; according to legend he donated relics of Saint Sicarius (Sicaire), one of the infants in the Massacre of the Innocents
. Those relics attracted pilgrims to the abbey, who also brought a certain affluence to Brantôme, but in spite of St. Sicaire's protection, the abbey was laid waste in 848 and in 857 by Viking
rovers who had advanced along the Dordogne and Isle rivers to the Dronne. The abbey was rebuilt towards the end of the tenth century and again in 1465 and in 1480 after the end of the Hundred Years' War
. Its Romanesque bell-tower
is a competitor for the title "oldest in France" and developed a high reputation. Here Bertrand du Guesclin
, battling the English Angevins, apprised that he had been made Constable of France by Charles V. Pierre de Mareuil, abbot from 1538–56, built a right-angled bridge, the Pont Coudé, over the river, which connected the elegant Renaissance abbot's lodging he built for himself with its garden, which lay on the opposite bank. He was succeeded by his nephew, Pierre de Bourdeille (abbot from 1558–1614), a soldier and writer better known by his title as Abbé Brantôme, whose diplomacy saved the abbey and its commune from the Huguenot forces of Gaspard de Coligny
on two occasions in 1569 during the Wars of Religion
. At the French Revolution
, the abbey was secularised as a bien national, the last seven monks pensioned and its rich library dispersed.
forms part of the commune's north-eastern border, then flows into the Dronne
, which flows southwestward through the middle of the commune.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Dordogne
Dordogne
Dordogne is a départment in south-west France. The départment is located in the region of Aquitaine, between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the great river Dordogne that runs through it...
department in southwestern France.
It is the seat of the canton of Brantôme
Canton of Brantôme
The Canton of Brantôme is a canton of the Dordogne department, in France. The lowest point is 75 m at the commune of Lisle, Dordogne, the highest point is at Biras at 237 m, the average or the centre is 76 m...
. Via Lemovicensis, an ancient Roman Road runs through Brantôme. The commune, which retains its picturesque atmosphere, is situated along the river Dronne
Dronne
The Dronne is a 201 km long river in southwestern France, right tributary of the Isle River. Its source is in the north-western Massif Central, east of the town of Châlus at an elevation of 510 m...
.
History
The commune started to develop on an island encircled by a sweep of the river DronneDronne
The Dronne is a 201 km long river in southwestern France, right tributary of the Isle River. Its source is in the north-western Massif Central, east of the town of Châlus at an elevation of 510 m...
next to the Benedictine Abbey of Brantôme, which was founded in 769 by Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
; according to legend he donated relics of Saint Sicarius (Sicaire), one of the infants in the Massacre of the Innocents
Massacre of the Innocents
The Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew Herod orders the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth...
. Those relics attracted pilgrims to the abbey, who also brought a certain affluence to Brantôme, but in spite of St. Sicaire's protection, the abbey was laid waste in 848 and in 857 by Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
rovers who had advanced along the Dordogne and Isle rivers to the Dronne. The abbey was rebuilt towards the end of the tenth century and again in 1465 and in 1480 after the end of the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. Its Romanesque bell-tower
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
is a competitor for the title "oldest in France" and developed a high reputation. Here Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin , known as the Eagle of Brittany or the Black Dog of Brocéliande, was a Breton knight and French military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He was Constable of France from 1370 to his death...
, battling the English Angevins, apprised that he had been made Constable of France by Charles V. Pierre de Mareuil, abbot from 1538–56, built a right-angled bridge, the Pont Coudé, over the river, which connected the elegant Renaissance abbot's lodging he built for himself with its garden, which lay on the opposite bank. He was succeeded by his nephew, Pierre de Bourdeille (abbot from 1558–1614), a soldier and writer better known by his title as Abbé Brantôme, whose diplomacy saved the abbey and its commune from the Huguenot forces of Gaspard de Coligny
Gaspard de Coligny
Gaspard de Coligny , Seigneur de Châtillon, was a French nobleman and admiral, best remembered as a disciplined Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion.-Ancestry:...
on two occasions in 1569 during the Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
. At the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the abbey was secularised as a bien national, the last seven monks pensioned and its rich library dispersed.
Geography
The CôleCôle
The Côle is a long river in the Dordogne département, south-central France. Its source is near le Châtenet, a hamlet in Firbeix. It flows generally southwest...
forms part of the commune's north-eastern border, then flows into the Dronne
Dronne
The Dronne is a 201 km long river in southwestern France, right tributary of the Isle River. Its source is in the north-western Massif Central, east of the town of Châlus at an elevation of 510 m...
, which flows southwestward through the middle of the commune.
Population
External links
- Official website of the town of Brantôme
- Brantôme on the Quid site
- Brantôme on the map of France
- Map and aerial photos:
- Street map: Street map from Mapquest, LiveLocal or Google or Yahoo! Maps
- Satellite images: Google or Microsoft Virtual Earth - image now available