Sers, Charente

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Sers
Town hall
Sers
Coordinates: 45°35′53″N 0°19′25″E / 45.5981°N 0.3236°E / 45.5981; 0.3236Coordinates: 45°35′53″N 0°19′25″E / 45.5981°N 0.3236°E / 45.5981; 0.3236
Country France
Region Poitou-Charentes
Department Charente
Arrondissement Angoulême
Canton Villebois-Lavalette
Intercommunality Vallée de l'Échelle
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Roland Veaux
Area
 • Land1 14.17 km2 (5.47 sq mi)
Population (2008)
 • Population2 749
 • Population2 Density 53/km2 (140/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 16368 / 16410
Elevation 82–220 m (269–722 ft)
(avg. 178 m or 584 ft)

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.

Sers is a commune in the Charente department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.

Located to the southeast of Angoulême on a plateau above the river Échelle, Sers is on the edge of the forest of Horte to the south.

The name is pronounced without sounding the final s [sɛʀ].

Neighbouring communes

Neighbouring communes include Bouëx, Vouzan, Grassac, Rougnac, Dignac, Dirac and Garat.

The area is part of the "Pays Horte et Tardoire".[1]

History

A rock with magnificent carvings from the Upper Palaeolithic period was discovered in 1927 at the place known as Roc de Sers, in the Échelle valley upstream from Sers. The carvings are in Solutrean style.[2]

A blast furnace and cannon foundry, built in 1514, was in operation until 1762 at Planche Meunier, near Sers.

The dairy and cheese farm built in 1896 on the site of an old flour mill closed at the end of the 20th century.

The population of the commune has increased steadily since the low point of the 1950s.

Population

Historical population
Year Pop.  ±%  
1793 718—    
1800 675−6.0%
1806 748+10.8%
1821 649−13.2%
1831 620−4.5%
1841 677+9.2%
1846 703+3.8%
1851 666−5.3%
1856 622−6.6%
1861 623+0.2%
1866 634+1.8%
1872 583−8.0%
1876 549−5.8%
1881 586+6.7%
1886 578−1.4%
1891 749+29.6%
1896 543−27.5%
1901 549+1.1%
1906 540−1.6%
1911 527−2.4%
1921 459−12.9%
1926 416−9.4%
1931 420+1.0%
1936 437+4.0%
1946 400−8.5%
1954 401+0.2%
1962 408+1.7%
1968 413+1.2%
1975 472+14.3%
1982 540+14.4%
1990 633+17.2%
1999 672+6.2%
2008 649−3.4%

People from Sers are called sersois.

Sights

The prehistoric carvings at Roc de Sers can be viewed by contacting the Mairie (Town Hall).

The parish church dedicated to St Peter dates from the 12th century. Its square Romanesque steeple has paired openings with semi-circular arches on the top two levels, and blind arcading below.

  • Sers1.4.JPG
  • Sers - Eglise.JPG

  • Entrance to the church

  • Sers eg4.JPG

The post office was built in the late 17th century-early 18th century as the vicarage for the church. Its main door is a protected historic monument.

  • Post office

On the first Sunday in August, a pilgrimage is made to the 6th century hermitage of Notre-Dame de Bellevau, carved out of the rock. The single pillar which supports the roof has Romanesque decorations.[3]

Facilities

The village of Sers has a church, a post office, a doctor's surgery, a pharmacy, a school, a baker, a butcher-charcuterie, two bars (one with a restaurant and small grocery, the other also a newsagent) and a hairdresser.

The town hall of the commune is located in the village, in the area known as Le Bourg, near the church.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to the Horte and Tardoire Pays". Retrieved 6 May 2011. 
  2. ↑ (in French) "Le Roc de Sers". Retrieved 22 April 2011. 
  3. ↑ (in French) "Hermitage du VIe siècle". Retrieved 22 April 2011. 
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