Bressuire

Bressuire
Chateau de Bressuire and the Eglise Notre-Dame
Chateau de Bressuire and the Eglise Notre-Dame
Coat of arms of Bressuire
Location of Bressuire
Map
Bressuire is located in France
Bressuire
Bressuire
Bressuire is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Bressuire
Bressuire
Coordinates: 46°50′27″N 0°29′14″W / 46.8408°N 0.4872°W / 46.8408; -0.4872
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentDeux-Sèvres
ArrondissementBressuire
CantonBressuire
IntercommunalityCA Bocage Bressuirais
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Emmanuelle Ménard[1]
Area
1
180.59 km2 (69.73 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
19,906
 • Density110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
79049 /79300
Elevation98–236 m (322–774 ft)
(avg. 173 m or 568 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bressuire (French pronunciation: [bʁɛsɥiʁ]; Latin: Berceorium; Poitevin: Beurseure) is a commune in the French department of Deux-Sèvres, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The town is situated on an eminence overlooking the Dolo, a tributary of the Argenton.

Notable buildings

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Bressuire has two buildings of interest: the church of Notre-Dame, which, dating chiefly from the 12th and 15th centuries, has an imposing tower of the Renaissance period; and the castle, built by the lords of Beaumont, vassals of the viscount of Thouars. The latter is now in ruins, and a portion of the site is occupied by a modern château, but an inner and outer line of fortifications are still to be seen. The whole forms the finest assemblage of feudal ruins in Poitou.[3]

The name

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The name "Bressuire" comes from two elements, being Berg (hill) and Durum (fortress). These two are linked in the name "Berzoriacum" recorded in 1029, and "Bercorium" from the start of the crusading era in 1095. The name Bressuire thereby defines a fortress on a hill.[4]

History

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Bressuire dates back to Celtic times, and was at the meeting point of roads during the Gallo-Roman period. The earliest surviving evidence of the town's existence, around the chapel of Saint Cyprien, dates back to the eleventh century.

Medieval Bressuire ("Castrum Berzoriacum") belonged to the viscounts of Thouars and comprised, in the tenth century, the three parishes of Notre Dame (Our Lady), St John and St Nicholas. The parish of St Nicholas, which has since disappeared, was located within the walls of the castle and belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes.

Among the disasters suffered at various times by the town, its capture from the English and subsequent pillage by French troops under du Guesclin in 1370 is the most memorable.[3] Bressuire was part of the Ancien Régime Province of Poitou.

In January 1973 Bressuire absorbed the former communes Beaulieu-sous-Bressuire, Boismé, Breuil-Chaussée, Chambroutet, Clazay, Noirlieu, Noirterre, Saint-Sauveur-de-Givre-en-Mai and Terves.[5]

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 13,814—    
1975 16,101+2.21%
1982 17,366+1.09%
1990 17,827+0.33%
1999 17,799−0.02%
2007 18,436+0.44%
2012 18,966+0.57%
2017 19,519+0.58%
Source: INSEE[6]

Notable people

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Twin towns - sister cities

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Bressuire is twinned with:[7]

Climate

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Climate data for Bressuire (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1990–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.5
(61.7)
22.1
(71.8)
23.9
(75.0)
27.8
(82.0)
32.1
(89.8)
38.9
(102.0)
40.4
(104.7)
39.9
(103.8)
34.2
(93.6)
30.4
(86.7)
22.1
(71.8)
17.7
(63.9)
40.4
(104.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.9
(46.2)
9.0
(48.2)
12.6
(54.7)
15.6
(60.1)
19.6
(67.3)
23.4
(74.1)
25.9
(78.6)
26.0
(78.8)
22.1
(71.8)
16.9
(62.4)
11.6
(52.9)
8.5
(47.3)
16.6
(61.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.2
(41.4)
5.5
(41.9)
8.2
(46.8)
10.5
(50.9)
14.2
(57.6)
17.7
(63.9)
19.7
(67.5)
19.8
(67.6)
16.4
(61.5)
12.9
(55.2)
8.4
(47.1)
5.7
(42.3)
12.0
(53.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.4
(36.3)
2.0
(35.6)
3.8
(38.8)
5.4
(41.7)
8.8
(47.8)
11.9
(53.4)
13.6
(56.5)
13.5
(56.3)
10.8
(51.4)
8.9
(48.0)
5.2
(41.4)
2.8
(37.0)
7.4
(45.3)
Record low °C (°F) −12.1
(10.2)
−11.2
(11.8)
−11.7
(10.9)
−4.3
(24.3)
−0.7
(30.7)
3.2
(37.8)
5.9
(42.6)
5.4
(41.7)
2.5
(36.5)
−3.1
(26.4)
−7.4
(18.7)
−10.6
(12.9)
−12.1
(10.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 92.1
(3.63)
67.6
(2.66)
64.6
(2.54)
63.5
(2.50)
67.3
(2.65)
52.3
(2.06)
51.1
(2.01)
51.1
(2.01)
58.5
(2.30)
97.1
(3.82)
89.1
(3.51)
97.9
(3.85)
852.2
(33.55)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 13.0 10.9 10.3 10.2 10.3 7.8 7.4 7.1 7.8 11.7 13.1 13.2 122.8
Source: Meteociel[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bressuire". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 499–500.
  4. ^ Bélisaire Ledain, "Histoire de la ville et baronnie de Bressuire", Bressuire, Baudry, 1866; p. 32 & Bélisaire Ledain, "Dictionnaire topographique du département des Deux-Sèvres…" Poitiers, Société française d'imprimerie et de librairie, 1902
  5. ^ Modifications aux circonscriptions administratives territoriales (fusion de communes), Journal officiel de la République française n° 0009, 11 January 1973, p. 502.
  6. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  7. ^ "Les villes jumelées". ville-bressuire.fr (in French). Bressuire. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
  8. ^ "Normales et records pour Bressuire (79)". Meteociel. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
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