Bedenac
Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bedenac (French pronunciation: [bedənak]; also Bédenac) is a commune in the Charente-Maritime in the department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. It is one of the largest communes in the department, in terms of land area.
Bedenac | |
|---|---|
 Town hall in Bedenac | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Bedenac | |
  Bedenac  Bedenac | |
| Coordinates: 45°09′54″N 0°18′20″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Charente-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Jonzac |
| Canton | Les Trois Monts |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Alain Laparliere[1] |
Area 1 | 40.23 km2 (15.53 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 699 |
| • Density | 17.4/km2 (45.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 17038 /17220 |
| Elevation | 44–109 m (144–358 ft) (avg. 60 m or 200 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Geography
A rural and heavily forested commune located in the canton of Les Trois Monts.
Neighboring communes
The neighbouring communes are Bussac-Forêt, Clérac, Lapouyade, Laruscade and Montlieu-la-Garde.
Hydrography
The Meudon flows through the commune and the town. Heading south, it is a tributary of the Saye, itself a tributary of the Isle and therefore of the Dordogne.
Name
Bedenac originates from the name of a Gallo-Roman landowner named Bitinus, followed by the suffix -acum.
The place name Chierzac comes from the personal name Ceretius, followed by the suffix -acum.
History
On the road between Paris and Bordeaux, an undocumented local legend claims that the modest village of Bedenac was once visited by Anne of Austria.
Between 1795 and 1800, the village of Bedenac absorbed the village of Cierzac, also spelled Chierzac.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 397 | — |
| 1968 | 475 | +19.6% |
| 1975 | 437 | −8.0% |
| 1982 | 431 | −1.4% |
| 1990 | 494 | +14.6% |
| 1999 | 509 | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 595 | +16.9% |
Facilities, services and local life
- School.
- Post office.
- Library.
The USB school and football club.
The post office and the library.
Local culture and heritage
Places and monuments
The church in Bedenac is of Romanesque origin. It was ruined in the 16th century and is said to have been rebuilt following a vow made by Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII, whose carriage reportedly encountered difficulties passing through the village, which at the time lay on the royal road between Paris and Madrid.
Having become too small, it was rebuilt in 1854. It is unusual in that it was constructed without any reference to a church in the region.
Heraldry
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Party: 1st Or, a maritime pine cut proper, 2nd Azure, a silver mitre accompanied by three gold fleurs-de-lis, all surmounted by a wavy chief gules charged with three gold chevrons arranged fesswise.
Details: The maritime pine evokes a forest commune, the mitre and the fleur-de-lis are the symbols of Saintonge, the wavy chief represents the Meudon which waters the commune and the three chevrons, the three hills of the commune. Created by Jean-François Binon, adopted in 2021.
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