Pranzac

On 16 April last year we posted a blog on the wine festival at Pranzac, see HERE   At that time, we said we would write a further post on the town itself and I have just realised that we never have!   So, belatedly, here it is!

Pranzac was inhabited from Gallo-Roman times, as a settlement on the main Roman road between Angouleme (15km/9 miles away) and Limoges, and is currently home to about 950 people. 

Probably its most famous son was  Jacques Roux, a radical Roman Catholic priest born in the town on 21 August 1752; he took an active role in  speaking out in support of the peasants during the French Revolution. He was driven to suicide  in 1794, in the turbulent political times after the King and Queen were executed. Later, such better-known revolutionary figures as Marx and Lenin took serious note of his opinions on social problems.

Ruins of the Château of Pranzac. The château was built in the 13th century by Lord Jourdain and seems to have survived the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). It was restored and added to several hundred years later, but today there isn't much left!!

 Another rare "lantern of the dead" - how did it end up here on its own, in a grassy square? Well, the adjacent faded notice board  tells the interesting little story.... The lantern, 7 metres/ 23 feet high, was originally built in a cemetery on this site  in the 12th century; the parish church of St Catherine, to which it was attached, stood across the road, but the church was "destroyed" in the 17th century. In 1855, a new law required cemeteries to be relocated outside towns. A certain Madame Tourette donated a new piece of ground elsewhere and this "city centre" site was abandoned in 1865. In 1880, a new "Place de la Lanterne", bigger than the old cemetery, was created here. During the 1940's, it briefly became a cattle market as there was a weighbridge close by, but by the 1980's the structure had become so dilapidated, it was apparently rebuilt, "stone by stone". A national monument since 1905.

 A lovely old cast iron signpost, almost forgotten, on a stone gatepost. Le Queroy and Le Chataign(i)er (chestnut tree) are nearby villages situated 3 kilometres west and 6 kilometres east respectively, on the old Roman road. It could be the journey time stated there as well (very helpful!!) but 5 hours for 3km (2 miles) seems a long time - perhaps it was hard going!

 The river Bandiat winding its way through the town. There's some old and unidentified bridge stonework here. The local limestone was quarried in great volumes and used extensively for building.

 Another peaceful shot of the Bandiat

Presumably these were originally stables of some kind, but we saw no signs of horses while were were there!

Of course, no town in France would be complete without at least one boulangerie!

 Must have been a delivery chute for things to be stored in the cellar. Planks in the pavement save pedestrians a nasty drop!

I just liked this old building!

A walled in gateway and no doubt former grand entrance to somewhere - it is private property, so we never  discovered where it led to, but....

 The trees on the old driveway still form a delightful avenue!

I liked this old doorway on an abandoned house

but found the doorknob a bit disconcerting!

The church of Saint Cybard,  who was born in the year 504 and lived in a cave as a solitary religious figure for 39 years. The building once formed part of the chateau, close by. The left hand side of the church was built in the 12th century, with the remainder, a second nave and chapel being added by Catherine de Clermont 400 years later to a contemporary design.

An interesting detail in the stonework. Two figures, inserted for posterity by a dedicated and imaginative sculptor!

A side view, and what looks like a smart new roof on the little extension!

Two hundred years ago, the town was making a  good living from sand extraction and limestone quarrying, but that seems to have died out.  Signs of transport facilities for these industries - the abandoned railway line  and an old canal are still to be seen in the landscape. 

Pranzac was also well-known in the mid 20th century as the location of a successful nut processing factory, which sold nuts locally and abroad. In the 60's, it was selling tents(?!) but today there is no sign in the local Yellow Pages of the owner Mr Mayoux or his factory, so we presume the nut and tent businesses didn't work out!

See also - My Life Before Charente Updated 25/02/2013

and my daily photo diary  HERE

http://photodiarydps.blogspot.com