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Talmont-sur-Gironde |
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Talmont-sur-Gironde
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Location within Poitou-Charentes region
Talmont-sur-Gironde
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Poitou-Charentes |
| Department | Charente-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Saintes |
| Canton | Cozes |
| Intercommunality | Pays Royannais |
| Mayor | François Lo Duca (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 0–24 m (0–79 ft) |
| Land area1 | 4.44 km2 (1.71 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 79 (2008) |
| - Density | 18 /km2 (47 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 17437/ 17120 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Talmont-sur-Gironde is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.
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The village lies about 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Royan, on a small promontory which dominates the Gironde Estuary. It appears to be ‘perched’ on this rocky outcrop, in the way that it occupies every square millimetre of space. Tiny beaches can be found at the base of the fortifications, which mostly are sheer from the sea. Inland there is marshy country and a small waterway runs alongside the south wall of the village.
| Year | 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 | 1856 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 444 | 409 | 360 | 439 | 388 | 389 | 351 | 378 | 377 | 288 |
| Year | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 | 1901 | 1906 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 261 | 253 | 215 | 208 | 236 | 238 | 216 | 183 | 179 | 185 |
| Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 142 | 120 | 124 | 106 | 134 | 120 | 159 | 128 | 115 | 92 |
| Year | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 79 | 83 | 83 | 79 |
The village is a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ("The most beautiful villages of France") association.
The village is known for its show of hollyhocks, which intrude on the tiny pedestrian-only streets between the small houses.
The church of St Radegonde was built in 1094. The structure appears quite 'squat' and is Romanesque in character. The church was a resting place for the Pilgrimage of Saint James of Compostela on the via Turonensis, because the pilgrims crossed the Gironde at this spot (Voie de Soulac Littoral Aquitain).
The enclosed and fortified village was founded around the church in 1284, according to the plans of the ancient bastides, on the orders of Edward I of England. During the Hundred Year War which divided England and France, Talmont became a strategic stake. In 1652, the village was destroyed by the Spanish.
The British artist and writer Avenda Burnell Walsh has her studio based there.[1]
The French arm of Pyjama Press works from Talmont.[2]