Aubeterre-sur-Dronne (, literally Aubeterre on Dronne; or Aubaterra de Drona, before 1962: Aubeterre)Décret du 2 mars 1962 portant changement de nom de communes, Journal officiel de la République française n° 0055, 7 March 1962, p. 2308. is a commune in the Charente department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France.Commune d'Aubeterre-sur-Dronne (16020), INSEE
Located on the river Dronne, on the departmental border with Dordogne, Aubeterre-sur-Dronne has been a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association since 1993. It is well known for its Church of Saint Jean, an underground, Monolithic church. Also popular is the nearby campsite with karaoke and live bands every night that can be heard for miles around.
Geography
Aubeterre-sur-Dronne is located in the extreme southeast of the Charente department some 42 km (26 mi) south of Angoulême,Orthodromic Dictances from Acme Mapper 14 km (8.6 mi) east of Chalais and 16 km (9.9 mi) west by northwest of Ribérac. The entire eastern border is the Dronne river which is the boundary between the Charente and Dordogne departments. Access to the commune is by the departmental road 2 (D2) from Saint-Romain in the west which passes around the village and continues east to Saint-Antoine-Cumond. The departmental road 17 (D17) comes from Laprade in the north passing through the village and then forming the western border of the commune as it goes south to Bonnes. The village is on the northern border of the commune with the rest of the commune entirely farmland.Google Maps
The commune is part of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most beautiful villages in France).Page on Aubeterre-sur-Dronne on Les Plus Beaux Villages de France website, consulted on 15 March 2014.
The Dronne River forms the entire eastern border of the commune as it flows south to join the Isle at Coutras. In the south of the commune a branch off the Dronne passes through the commune and is called the Astier du Poulard.
Geology and terrain The vast area west of the commune is occupied by the slopes of Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) chalky limestone which covers a large part of southern Charente. The hills north of the town are covered with Tertiary deposits of sand, clay, and pebbles. The lower part of the commune in the Dronne valley is covered with alluvium from the Quaternary period, the oldest of which have accumulated in terraces and the most recent is on the flood plain.BRGM map on Géoportail Infoterre Visualiser , BRGM website Paper Notice on Ribérac, BRGM, 1999, , Infoterre website, consulted on 30 December 2011
Aubeterre is on a hill in the concave bank of a meander of the River Dronne and forms a spur to the south.
The highest point of the commune is at an altitude of 111m and is located on the plateau near the northern boundary. The lowest point is 38m located on the southern boundary next to the Dronne. The commune is spread between the valley of the Dronne and the top of the hill.
Toponymy
The name Aubeterre is derived from Albaterra which dates to 1004.Jean Nanglard, Polyptych history of the Diocese of Angoulême, Vol. III, Angoulême, imprimerie Despujols, 1900, 582 p., p. 113 Alba Terra means "White earth" which comes from the white chalk rock face overlooking the village.
Aubeterre is located in the Occitan part of Charente and its name in Occitan is Aubaterra (Limousin dialect).The names of communes in Charente occitan, Jean Urroz, 2005, consulted on 15 March 2014
History
Middle Ages There has been a lordship of Aubeterre since the 11th century. The first known lord was Géraud at the beginning of that century. Aimeri d'Aubeterre was the name of a monk at the Abbey of Saint-Cybard.
On the hill on top of the white chalk cliffs the lords of Aubeterre erected a castle above the monolithic Church of Saint-Jean in the 12th century. Aubeterre was then a Viscounty which passed by marriage to Pierre II from the house of Castillon.Jules Martin-Buchey, Historic and communal geography of Charente, Châteauneuf, 1914–1917 (reprint Bruno Sépulchre, Paris, 1984), 422 p., p. 61-63
In 1246, the lord of Aubeterre recognized Hugh X of Lusignan - the Count of Angoulême - as his Suzerain.Pierre-Rémy Houssin with Jean Combes and Michel Luc, Charente from prehistory to our times, (collective work), St-Jean-d'Y, Imprimerie Bordessoules, coll. "History by documents", 1986, 429 p. (, BnF No. FRBNF34901024, p. 124
In 1278, Pierre V was stripped of the Viscounty of Aubeterre and paid homage to the Count of Angoulême. His youngest daughter married Pierre Raymond, Lord of Ozillac, who thus became Viscount of Aubeterre. The Raymond family retained Aubeterre throughout the 14th century and was on the side of the King of France against the English during the Hundred Years War.
In September 1346, during the Hundred Years War, the Earl of Derby took the village.Robert Favreau, Jean Combes (dir.), History of Poitou and Charent Country: Deux-Sèvres, Vienne, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Clermont-Ferrand, Gérard Tisserand, 2001, 334 p. (), Read online, p. 196
The King of England, Edward III, gave the Lord of Mussidan custody of the village, which he retained in 1360 at the Treaty of Brétigny which retro-ceded Angoumois to England as well as Saintonge.Aubeterre, the gateway to Périgord, was also the gateway to Saintonge, since at that time the province included Barbezieux, Montmoreau, and Chalais. After the Treaty of Brétigny all the English possessions in Aquitaine were called Guyenne.
Viscount Gardrad Raymond, the son of Pierre Raymond, swore allegiance to Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales on 29 September 1363.
In 1366, Aubeterre was one of nine castellanies in the Seneschal of Angoumois which was held by the English Seneschal Henri de la Haye.Pierre-Rémy Houssin with Jean Combes and Michel Luc, Charente from prehistory to our times, (collective work), St-Jean-d'Y, Imprimerie Bordessoules, coll. "History by documents", 1986, 429 p. (, BnF No. FRBNF34901024, p. 133 Other castellanies were: Angoulême, Bouteville, Villebois, Merpins, Jarnac, Cognac, and La Tour-Blanche. Between 1356 and 1412 the lordship of Aubeterre changed hands seven times between the English and the French. Gardrad Raymond, lord of Aubeterre, was a great recruiter and headed bands of Anglo-Gascons before being engaged by Bertrand Du Guesclin to go to war with Spain in 1366.Pierre-Rémy Houssin with Jean Combes and Michel Luc, Charente from prehistory to our times, (collective work), St-Jean-d'Y, Imprimerie Bordessoules, coll. "History by documents", 1986, 429 p. (, BnF No. FRBNF34901024, p. 142
The granddaughter of Gardrad Raymond married Guy Bouchard, a knight, and Aubeterre remained in the hands of the Bouchard family for the next two centuries.
Modern Times (16th–18th century)
After the wars of religion were over the Viscount of Aubeterre, François Bouchard, embraced the Protestant party with ardour. The assassin of Henry I, Duke of Guise, Jean de Poltrot, was one of his pages. François Bouchard fled to Geneva with his wife and Aubeterre was taken by the Duke of Anjou. His son, David Bouchard, returned from exile in Switzerland. He was supported by the Viscount of Bourdeilles, Seneschal of Périgord, who gave him his daughter Renée in marriage which then brought him to the Catholic religion. The young Viscount of Aubeterre died in 1593 as a result of a wound received at the siege of Lisle in Perigord by Leaguers.
Their only daughter Hippolyte married François d'Esparbes de Lussan in 1597 who became Viscount of Aubeterre. This remarkable man had Protestant ideas unlike his father and was the faithful companion of Henri IV both before and after his accession to the throne. He helped him to regain his kingdom against the Catholic League. He obtained the governance of Blaye and in 1612 he was Governor and Seneschal of Agenais and Condomois and was made Marshal of France in 1620.
He rebuilt the castle (the pavilion containing the chapel, gatehouses, and the round tower) and created a Marquisate in Aubeterre. He died in January 1628 in his castle.
He had twelve children including seven boys. Succession gave rise to a long process which was ended in 1650 by a decree of the Parliament of Paris which stipulated that all property would be shared between the two eldest sons. The elder branch, which descended from Henri Joseph Bouchard d'Esparbès de Lussan d'Aubeterre, retained the title of Marquis of Aubeterre. The younger son took the title of Count of Aubeterre and lived in the Château de Bonnes.
In the 18th century the jurisdiction of Aubeterre extended over 19 parishes and 40 fiefs. The religious chapter depended on the Diocese of Périgueux and the Protestant church on the Synod of Angoumois.Pierre-Rémy Houssin with Jean Combes and Michel Luc, Charente from prehistory to our times, (collective work), St-Jean-d'Y, Imprimerie Bordessoules, coll. "History by documents", 1986, 429 p. (, BnF No. FRBNF34901024, p. 159
Contemporary era At the beginning of the 20th century Aubeterre had a station on the Parcoul to Riberac railway line.
Heraldry
Administration
List of Successive MayorsList of Mayors of France From To Name Party Position 2001 2004 Pierre-Marcel Benoit 2004 Jacques Mercier
Demography Its inhabitants are known as Aubeterriens (masculine) or Aubeterriennes (feminine) in French.Inhabitants of Charente
Culture and heritage
Civil heritage
The Chateau d'Aubeterre (11th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
Built on a rocky promontory and controlling the valley of the Dronne as well as being the meeting point of three provinces (Angoumois, Saintonge, and Périgord), the Chateau d'Aubeterre is mentioned in writings from 1004.
The main remnant of the chateau is the gatehouse: a rectangular tower of solid appearance rebuilt in the 16th century. It retains an appearance specific to medieval buildings including battlements and two vertical grooves on either side of the portal - the ultimate evidence of a former drawbridge. The whole is completed by the remains of four circular towers, part of the defensive walls, a small lodgings house, a Renaissance chapel, and some parts of an old curtain wall.Châteaux, manors, and lodgings: Charente, éditions Patrimoine et Médias, 1993, 499 p. (), p. 323
The Place Merkès-Merval owes its name to two opera-stars from 1940 to 1990: Marcel Merkès and Paulette Merval. This small place is known for its traditional houses with wooden balconies "in Spanish style". In the centre is an old Lavoir (public laundry). An arched way leads to the Place Trarieux named after Ludovic Trarieux, the founder of the Ligue française pour la défense des droits de l'homme et du citoyen (French League for the Defence of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen) who was a native of Aubeterre. This small plaza is lined with ancient houses, and there is a niche housing a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Tower of the Apostles (or Henri IV Tower): it was in this tower that Henri of Navarre would have slept on the eve of the Battle of Coutras.Jean-Paul Gaillard, Castles, lodgings, and old houses of Charente, Paris, librairie Bruno Sépulchre, 1993 (reprint 2005), 893 p., p. 85
Religious heritage The Minimes Convent,Ministry of Culture, Mérimée founded in 1617, is now a retirement home. The Chapel (open to the public) combines classical and late Gothic architectural elements. There is a Retable in monumental stone, which shall include representatives of angels holding in their hands suns. The cloister adjoining the chapel has pure and simple lines and is modelled after the Minimes Convent of Blaye.
The Altar and Retable (17th century) are registered as an historical object.Ministry of Culture, Palissy