In May, I visited the small town of Exideuil which is situated in the department of Charente, with the beautiful Vienne River running through it. It is also on the main railway line between Limoges and Angouleme. The inhabitants of Exideuil are called Exideuillais, and the town is on the edge of the world famous meteorite crater at Rochechouart.
The meteorite that hit the Earth between Pressignac and present day Rochechouart, is reputedly part of one of the 15 largest ever meteorites to make contact with our planet's surface (source: museum Paul Pellas, Rochechouart).
In 1969, scientific researchers in the region advanced a theory of a meteorite which hit about 214 million years ago, at the end of the Triassic age. It was about a mile wide or 1.5km in diameter and weighed some 6,000 million tons and hit at a speed of 20 km a second. The energy released was some 14 million times that of the Hiroshima bomb. A crater 20 - 25 kilometres wide was formed within 42 seconds of impact, vaporising some 8 cubic miles of the earth's crust and vitrifying a further 42 cubic miles. Phew!! All life within 300 miles of the impact at modern-day Rochechouart would have been wiped out. (Source: Association Pierre de la Lune).
For further reading please see HERE
The Mairie (Town Hall / Mayor's office)
The Vienne river which runs along the rear of the Mairie.
Houses in the main street. Note the well outside in the pavement; I bet this was a great meeting point in years gone by.
I just loved these roses that ran along the fence where I had parked the car
and I was completely fascinated by these two small doors under the fence with beautifull initials on them. The mind runs wild dreaming up what they may be there for, or what is behind them!
An attractive corner in the centre of town. Note that the streets were very quiet as I was there during the French 2 hour lunch break!
Of course, no town in France would be complete without its own war memorial.
The Church door
L'église Saint-André d'Exideuil
The steeple from various angles
Photos inside were far more difficult; the only light came from the doorway and I do not like using flash in these buildings. Many people object, and I do not want to incur the wrath of the locals!
I hope that you enjoyed this small tour. At some stage, I would like to go to the Rochechouart Meteorite Museum when Nigel is here and I will to do a post with more information on the Meteorite.
