Lussac-les-Châteaux
Encyclopedia
Lussac-les-Châteaux is a commune
in the Vienne
department in the Poitou-Charentes
region
in western France
.
.
The 'Cave of the Goblin' was excavated by A. Brouillet in 1865, by the Abbé Breuil
in 1905, by Stéphane Lwoff in 1962, and from 1980 by Jean and André Chollet Airvaux.
Among the items found by A. Brouillet were numerous engraved limestone slabs, a barbed arrow, a decorated awl, and a fragment of bone with a drawing of a horse and an ox.
This cave was occupied from the middle Magdalenian period, but the discovery of Roman tiles, coins, and a medieval seal shows it was a haven throughout history.
'The Hermitage,' a cave occupied by the Neanderthals, was excavated between 1864 and 1936 by A. Brouillet, the Abbé Breuil
, Leon Pericard and Stéphane Lwoff. Thousands of tools were found there.
The cave of La Marche
was excavated from 1937 onwards by Leon Pericard and Stéphane Lwoff. A major site in prehistoric times, it was visited by the Abbé Breuil
on several occasions between 1939 and 1940. It was classified as a historic monument
on 4th April 1970.
Researchers have discovered a quantity of drawings on limestone slabs, dating from the Magdalenian
period (15,000 BC). These sketches reflect the environment of prehistoric artists, representing various animals (mammoths, antelopes, cats, deer). In addition to drawings of animals, there are a series of human figures (something rare for this time), including the bodies of pregnant women and male faces. These prints are difficult to interpret, because the Magdalenian artists would cover old drawings with ochre, superimposing new drawings onto the same stone.
Some archaeologists have speculated that the picture tablets are evidence of a Palaeolithic 'school'. Above all, the pictures bear true witness to Paleolithic life. We admire the graphic precision, the direction of movement given to animals in very simple lines. Beyond their graphic quality, these prints may have been linked to sacred rites or mystery cults.
The limestone tablets found at Lussac became reference points for researchers on prehistory, and have the same importance as the cave paintings of Lascaux
.
Archaeologists also found thousands of tools in flint, bone, and reindeer ivory: chisels, scrapers, awls, needles, drilled sticks, and a spear with a reindeer ivory tip (basic single bevel and dual slot) called the 'spear of Lussac'. The local museum contains displays devoted to the cave.
The 'Guy Martin' network, discovered by cavers in 1990, is a cavern bristling with many stalactites. On one wall is engraved a 60 cm long mammoth and diverse representations. Bone fragments have been found. Like La Marche
, this cave is dated to Magdalenian III (from about 14,000 years ago). The site was therefore already inhabited in the Magdalenian period (15,000 BC) as evidenced by the many slabs of carved limestone found in these caves.
Human occupation continued after the Palaeolithic. The dolmen
of Loubressac attests to a human presence in the Neolithic
. Between about 4000 and 2000 BC, tribes scattered along the banks of the Vienne constructed megalithic tombs, of which little remains today. A stone capstone held up by upright stones formed a burial chamber, which was covered with a mound of soil. Were these the graves of chiefs or commoners? Various hypotheses have been advanced to explain these Neolithic monuments.
chief 'Lucius'. The name became 'Luciago' and later 'Lussac'. Some artefacts of Gallo-Roman social and artistic life, such as pottery and coins, have been found. Local place names, such as 'Vaux villars', suggest that the occupants of Gallo-Roman villae worked in agriculture. A Gallo-Roman village at Civaux, few kilometres from Lussac, is well known from archaeology.
By this period, the inhabitants were already using the river as a means of communication.
.
According to tradition, the castle was built about 780. It is first referred to in the archives in 1065 as belonging to the Conis family of Saint-Germain.
In the next two centuries, the castle was held by two families. Sir John Chandos
was appointed seneschal of Poitou in 1369 by the King of England, and settled in Poitiers.
In the same year Sir John noticed, to his 'annoyance', that the French were regaining a foothold in the province. The Breton John Kerlouët and Louis de Saint Julien Trimouille, lord of Lusignan, had occupied La Roche-Posay
and Saint-Savin, a few miles from Poitiers
. Chandos decided to retake the abbey of Saint-Savin, with a surprise attack under cover of night.
The planned attack failed when, thinking they had been detected by the enemy, Chandos' force retreated towards the bridge across the Vienne at Lussac, along the route to Poitiers through Chauvigny
. The French, unaware of their presence, had decided to follow the same route to harass any British troops. The adversaries met at the bridge of Lussac. In the battle, Chandos' long coat made him slip on the frost. James de Saint-Martin, a squire in the house of Sir Bagnac, struck Chandos with his sword. Chandos' uncle Edward Twyford, standing over his wounded nephew, repulsed the attackers. One of his squires pierced both legs of James Saint-Martin with his sword; Saint-Martin died three days later at Poitiers.
John Chandos was carried on a large shield to Morthemer, the nearest English fortress. He died on New Year's Day 1370, after a day and night of agony, at the age of 55.
When the news of Sir John's death reached the court of Edward III
in England, and the court of Black Prince at Guyenne
, they were greatly upset. Chandos was not only a great warrior, but also an able administrator and a wise politician.
A cenotaph was erected to commemorate the spot where he fell. This monument has since been moved to the nearby town of Mazerolles.
Bertrand du Guesclin
recaptured the castle for the English in 1372.
The castle was sacked by the troops of the Admiral de Coligny
in 1569, and then dismantled by the people, who used its stones to build houses.
During the French Revolution, under a decree of the Convention (Year II), the town was renamed Lussac-sur-Vienne.
Fierce fighting took place between Resistance forces and the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1944.
. She was born in 1640 and died in 1707.
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 Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
department in the Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes is an administrative region in central western France comprising four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. The regional capital is Poitiers.-Politics:The regional council is composed of 56 members...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Prehistory
The importance of the prehistoric art at Lussac is evidenced by the presence of numerous archaeological artefacts in the Museum of National Antiquities at Saint-Germain-en-LayeSaint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
.
The 'Cave of the Goblin' was excavated by A. Brouillet in 1865, by the Abbé Breuil
Henri Breuil
Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil , often referred to as Abbé Breuil, was a French Catholic priest, archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist...
in 1905, by Stéphane Lwoff in 1962, and from 1980 by Jean and André Chollet Airvaux.
Among the items found by A. Brouillet were numerous engraved limestone slabs, a barbed arrow, a decorated awl, and a fragment of bone with a drawing of a horse and an ox.
This cave was occupied from the middle Magdalenian period, but the discovery of Roman tiles, coins, and a medieval seal shows it was a haven throughout history.
'The Hermitage,' a cave occupied by the Neanderthals, was excavated between 1864 and 1936 by A. Brouillet, the Abbé Breuil
Henri Breuil
Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil , often referred to as Abbé Breuil, was a French Catholic priest, archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist...
, Leon Pericard and Stéphane Lwoff. Thousands of tools were found there.
The cave of La Marche
La Marche (cave)
La Marche is a cave and archaeological site located in Lussac-les-Châteaux, a commune in the department of Vienne, western France. The carved etchings discovered there in 1937 show 15,000 year-old detailed depictions of humans...
was excavated from 1937 onwards by Leon Pericard and Stéphane Lwoff. A major site in prehistoric times, it was visited by the Abbé Breuil
Henri Breuil
Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil , often referred to as Abbé Breuil, was a French Catholic priest, archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist...
on several occasions between 1939 and 1940. It was classified as a historic monument
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
on 4th April 1970.
Researchers have discovered a quantity of drawings on limestone slabs, dating from the Magdalenian
Magdalenian
The Magdalenian , refers to one of the later cultures of the Upper Paleolithic in western Europe, dating from around 17,000 BP to 9,000 BP...
period (15,000 BC). These sketches reflect the environment of prehistoric artists, representing various animals (mammoths, antelopes, cats, deer). In addition to drawings of animals, there are a series of human figures (something rare for this time), including the bodies of pregnant women and male faces. These prints are difficult to interpret, because the Magdalenian artists would cover old drawings with ochre, superimposing new drawings onto the same stone.
Some archaeologists have speculated that the picture tablets are evidence of a Palaeolithic 'school'. Above all, the pictures bear true witness to Paleolithic life. We admire the graphic precision, the direction of movement given to animals in very simple lines. Beyond their graphic quality, these prints may have been linked to sacred rites or mystery cults.
The limestone tablets found at Lussac became reference points for researchers on prehistory, and have the same importance as the cave paintings of Lascaux
Lascaux
Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne. They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be...
.
Archaeologists also found thousands of tools in flint, bone, and reindeer ivory: chisels, scrapers, awls, needles, drilled sticks, and a spear with a reindeer ivory tip (basic single bevel and dual slot) called the 'spear of Lussac'. The local museum contains displays devoted to the cave.
The 'Guy Martin' network, discovered by cavers in 1990, is a cavern bristling with many stalactites. On one wall is engraved a 60 cm long mammoth and diverse representations. Bone fragments have been found. Like La Marche
La Marche (cave)
La Marche is a cave and archaeological site located in Lussac-les-Châteaux, a commune in the department of Vienne, western France. The carved etchings discovered there in 1937 show 15,000 year-old detailed depictions of humans...
, this cave is dated to Magdalenian III (from about 14,000 years ago). The site was therefore already inhabited in the Magdalenian period (15,000 BC) as evidenced by the many slabs of carved limestone found in these caves.
Human occupation continued after the Palaeolithic. The dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
of Loubressac attests to a human presence in the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
. Between about 4000 and 2000 BC, tribes scattered along the banks of the Vienne constructed megalithic tombs, of which little remains today. A stone capstone held up by upright stones formed a burial chamber, which was covered with a mound of soil. Were these the graves of chiefs or commoners? Various hypotheses have been advanced to explain these Neolithic monuments.
Gallo-Roman era
The district was originally 'Luciacum', the tribal domain of the Gallo-RomanGallo-Roman culture
The term Gallo-Roman describes the Romanized culture of Gaul under the rule of the Roman Empire. This was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman mores and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context...
chief 'Lucius'. The name became 'Luciago' and later 'Lussac'. Some artefacts of Gallo-Roman social and artistic life, such as pottery and coins, have been found. Local place names, such as 'Vaux villars', suggest that the occupants of Gallo-Roman villae worked in agriculture. A Gallo-Roman village at Civaux, few kilometres from Lussac, is well known from archaeology.
By this period, the inhabitants were already using the river as a means of communication.
Middle Ages
Lussac, like many mediaeval towns, seems to have grown up around a castle built during the feudal era. The fragmentation of central power necessitated the establishment of fortresses, including on the provincial borders, to fight against land-hungry neighbouring warlords. The Lord of Lussac was a vassal of the Count de la Marche (Limousin) and had to defend this border area against PoitouPoitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
.
According to tradition, the castle was built about 780. It is first referred to in the archives in 1065 as belonging to the Conis family of Saint-Germain.
In the next two centuries, the castle was held by two families. Sir John Chandos
John Chandos
Sir John Chandos, Viscount of Saint-Sauveur in the Cotentin, Constable of Aquitaine, Seneschal of Poitou, KG was a medieval English knight who hailed from Radbourne Hall, Derbyshire. Chandos was a close friend of Edward, the Black Prince and a founding member and 19th Knight of the Order of the...
was appointed seneschal of Poitou in 1369 by the King of England, and settled in Poitiers.
In the same year Sir John noticed, to his 'annoyance', that the French were regaining a foothold in the province. The Breton John Kerlouët and Louis de Saint Julien Trimouille, lord of Lusignan, had occupied La Roche-Posay
La Roche-Posay
La Roche-Posay is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.-Demographics:-References:*...
and Saint-Savin, a few miles from Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
. Chandos decided to retake the abbey of Saint-Savin, with a surprise attack under cover of night.
The planned attack failed when, thinking they had been detected by the enemy, Chandos' force retreated towards the bridge across the Vienne at Lussac, along the route to Poitiers through Chauvigny
Chauvigny
Chauvigny is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.Chauvigny is located east of Poitiers by rail. The town is situated overlooking the Vienne River and a small brook. Chauvigny is twinned with Billericay in Essex, England.-Sights:Chauvigny features two...
. The French, unaware of their presence, had decided to follow the same route to harass any British troops. The adversaries met at the bridge of Lussac. In the battle, Chandos' long coat made him slip on the frost. James de Saint-Martin, a squire in the house of Sir Bagnac, struck Chandos with his sword. Chandos' uncle Edward Twyford, standing over his wounded nephew, repulsed the attackers. One of his squires pierced both legs of James Saint-Martin with his sword; Saint-Martin died three days later at Poitiers.
John Chandos was carried on a large shield to Morthemer, the nearest English fortress. He died on New Year's Day 1370, after a day and night of agony, at the age of 55.
When the news of Sir John's death reached the court of Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
in England, and the court of Black Prince at Guyenne
Guyenne
Guyenne or Guienne , , ; Occitan Guiana ) is a vaguely defined historic region of south-western France. The Province of Guyenne, sometimes called the Province of Guyenne and Gascony, was a large province of pre-revolutionary France....
, they were greatly upset. Chandos was not only a great warrior, but also an able administrator and a wise politician.
A cenotaph was erected to commemorate the spot where he fell. This monument has since been moved to the nearby town of Mazerolles.
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...
recaptured the castle for the English in 1372.
Modern era
The large communal fish pond was dug in 1492. In 1519, Renée Geoffroy, heiress to the castle, married François de Rochechouart-Mortemart. At that time, the castle formed a large quadrangle with corner towers, battlements, and underground rooms. Its imposing mass loomed between the pond and the village.The castle was sacked by the troops of the Admiral 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:...
in 1569, and then dismantled by the people, who used its stones to build houses.
During the French Revolution, under a decree of the Convention (Year II), the town was renamed Lussac-sur-Vienne.
Fierce fighting took place between Resistance forces and the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1944.
Personalities
The area was the birthplace of the famous mistress to Louis XIV, Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de MontespanFrançoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan
Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise of Montespan , better known as Madame de Montespan, was the most celebrated maîtresse en titre of King Louis XIV of France, by whom she had seven children....
. She was born in 1640 and died in 1707.