Préguillac
Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Préguillac (French pronunciation: [pʁeɡijak]) is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It lies in the historic province of Saintonge, immediately south of the urban area centred on Saintes.
_mairie.JPG)
Préguillac | |
|---|---|
The town hall in Préguillac | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Préguillac | |
  Préguillac Location within France  Préguillac Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Coordinates: 45°40′18″N 0°36′55″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Charente-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Saintes |
| Canton | Thénac |
| Intercommunality | Saintes - Grandes Rives - L'Agglo[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2026–2032) | Philippe Baranger[2] |
Area 1 | 6.60 km2 (2.55 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[3] | 444 |
| • Density | 67.3/km2 (174/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 17289 /17460 |
| Elevation | 7–69 m (23–226 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Although a small rural commune, Préguillac has a notable archaeological heritage. Sites within its territory have produced evidence of occupation from the Neolithic and Iron Age, while the Romanesque Church of Sainte-Eulalie has elements dating from the 12th century and is partly protected as a Monument historique.
Geography
Préguillac covers 6.60 km2 (2.55 sq mi). It lies south of Saintes and forms part of the wider social and economic area focused on that city. INSEE places Préguillac within the area of attraction and employment zone of Saintes, although it is outside any officially defined urban unit.[4]
The commune borders Thénac to the west and north, Les Gonds to the north-east, Berneuil to the east and south, and Tesson to the south-west.
Its altitude varies from 7 to 69 m (226 ft). The municipal planning study describes a landscape in transition between open agricultural land and a more varied pattern of woods, vineyards, cultivated fields and hedgerows. The older settlement is concentrated around the church, while smaller hamlets and more recent housing are dispersed across the commune.[5]
No permanent watercourse crosses the commune. Rainwater drains towards wet depressions, while the Seugne river system lies several kilometres away.[5]
Transport
The A10 autoroute between Paris and Bordeaux crosses the south-western part of the commune, although there is no junction within Préguillac. The nearest access is at Saintes. The D137, the former main road between Saintes and Pons and historically part of the road towards Bordeaux, runs along the northern side of the commune.[5]
Local roads connect Préguillac with Tesson, Berneuil and neighbouring villages. Walking routes through the commune include the GR 655, part of the traditional Tours route of the Way of Saint James.[5]
History
Prehistory and archaeology
Préguillac contains several archaeological sites of regional importance. The municipal planning survey identifies archaeological remains at Le Pédeau, Les Arnoux and Le Taillis, among other locations.[5]
At Clône-Flanquet, prehistoric stone tools collected by Marcel Clouet were studied by archaeologist Claude Burnez and published in the Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française in 1965. Burnez classified the assemblage within the archaeological tradition then known as the Campignian.[6] The finds made Préguillac one of the documented prehistoric sites of the Saintonge area in archaeological surveys of the period.[7]
The Le Pédeau site was investigated during work associated with an electricity installation in the late 1980s. Excavation revealed an enclosed rural settlement of the First Iron Age. The enclosure, with its rounded corners and palisade, has subsequently been used by archaeologists as a comparative example in studies of rural settlement in western Gaul during the first half of the first millennium BC.[8]
A further major site was uncovered at Les Arnoux–Le Taillis. Preventive excavations in 2006–2007 investigated a ditched enclosure dating to the Late Neolithic.[9] The enclosure is associated with the Peu-Richard culture of western France. Later archaeological studies have noted a stone-laid approach at its entrance and have used the site in comparisons of Neolithic enclosed settlements in western France.[10]
Development of the village
The traditional settlement was historically dispersed among a number of small hamlets. According to the commune's planning study, what is now regarded as the centre of Préguillac developed comparatively late. In the mid-19th century, the principal built-up area consisted mainly of development along what are now Rue Jean-Giono and Rue du Vigneau, meeting beside the Church of Sainte-Eulalie.[5]
The old village architecture is characteristic of the Saintonge, with extensive use of limestone rubble and dressed stone. Among the surviving secular buildings are older houses, the Château de la Papillière and the former communal school, built in the late 19th century.[5]
Administration
Préguillac is in the arrondissement of Saintes and the Canton of Thénac. It is a member of the Saintes - Grandes Rives - L'Agglo, the intercommunal authority centred on Saintes.[4][1]
Following the 2026 municipal elections, Philippe Baranger became mayor of Préguillac for the 2026–2032 term.[2]
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 244 | — |
| 1975 | 243 | −0.06% |
| 1982 | 278 | +1.94% |
| 1990 | 305 | +1.17% |
| 1999 | 323 | +0.64% |
| 2007 | 406 | +2.90% |
| 2012 | 451 | +2.12% |
| 2017 | 450 | −0.04% |
| 2023 | 444 | −0.22% |
| Source: INSEE[11] | ||
The population remained close to 240 inhabitants during the 1960s and 1970s before increasing substantially from the 1980s. It reached more than 450 inhabitants in the early 2010s and has since remained broadly stable. The municipal population was 444 in 2023.[11]
In 2023 the commune contained 219 dwellings, 92.5% of which were principal residences. Owner-occupation was high: 84.1% of households owned their principal residence.[11]
Economy and commuting
Préguillac functions partly as a residential commune within the wider Saintes employment area. In 2023, 190 residents aged 15 or over were in employment. Only 16% worked within Préguillac itself, while 84% travelled to another commune for work.[12]
Road transport dominates commuting: 88.8% of employed residents used a car, van or similar vehicle to travel to work in 2023, while public transport accounted for less than 1%.[12]
Education
Préguillac's primary school is the Pierre-Gilles-de-Gennes school complex, named after the French physicist and Nobel laureate Pierre-Gilles de Gennes. It operates as part of an intercommunal educational grouping with the neighbouring commune of Berneuil. Pupils from CE1 to CM2 are taught at Préguillac, while nursery classes and CP are based at Berneuil.[13]
The main cluster of public facilities in the village centre also includes the town hall, community hall, library, leisure facilities and Church of Sainte-Eulalie.[5]
Culture and heritage
Church of Sainte-Eulalie
_Église_Saint-Eulalie_PA00104854_la_tour.JPG)
The Church of Sainte-Eulalie is the principal historic monument of Préguillac. Its oldest surviving portions date from the 12th century. The apse, choir and bell tower were inscribed as a French Monument historique by order of 30 March 1978.[14]
The square Romanesque bell tower is low and massive, with paired openings on each face beneath double arches supported by cylindrical columns. The choir bay supporting the tower is framed by square piers with engaged half-columns. Although the church was repeatedly altered, these portions preserve its 12th-century character; the present portal is a 19th-century addition.[14]
The church underwent substantial restoration in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[15]
Other heritage
The commune's planning inventory identifies several examples of traditional Saintonge architecture outside the protected church, including the Château de la Papillière, an 18th- and 19th-century house with outbuildings, and the late-19th-century former school building. Wells and fountains also survive as elements of the commune's smaller rural heritage.[5]
The GR 655 pilgrimage route is marked locally by stone markers bearing the scallop-shell symbol associated with the Way of Saint James.[5]
Clône-Flanquet
The former archaeological site at Clône-Flanquet is now occupied by a municipal pond and recreation area. The pond is managed for recreational fishing and has been designated a Parcours Découverte by the Charente-Maritime fishing federation. It includes accessible fishing places, a footpath, picnic facilities and a wheelchair-accessible platform.[16]
