Arthenac

Arthenac (French pronunciation: [aʁtənak]) is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

Arthenac
Commune
A general view of Arthenac
Location of Arthenac
Arthenac Show map of France Arthenac Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 45°30′57″N 0°18′48″W
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement	Jonzac
Canton	Jonzac
Intercommunality	CC Haute Saintonge
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Bruno Chainier[1]
Area 1	12.66 km2 (4.89 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	339
• Density	27/km2 (69/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	17020 /17520
Elevation	43–111 m (141–364 ft) (avg. 72 m or 236 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The commune has been awarded three flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.^[3]

Geography

Arthenac is located in the south of Charente-Maritime in the former province of Saintonge some 24 km south-east of Pons, 16 km north-east of Jonzac, and immediately south-west of Archiac. Access to the commune is by the D699 road from Archiac in the north-west passing through the village and continuing south-west to Réaux. There is also the D251 road from Sainte-Lheurine in the north-west passing through south of the village to Saint-Eugène in the south-east. The D149 comes from the D700 in the north passing through the village then south to Allas-Champagne. The commune is mostly farmland with two large forests south of the village.^[4]

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

Under the Ancien Régime Arthenac was independent but was merged with Archiac in 1789. The commune regained its independent status on 13 October 1831.

Administration

The Town Hall

List of Successive Mayors^[5]

From	To	Name	Party
2001	2020	Chantal Guimberteau	DVD
2020	2026	Bruno Chainier

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arthenacais or Arthenacaises in French.^[6]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1831 779 —     1836 742 −0.97% 1841 759 +0.45% 1846 731 −0.75% 1851 726 −0.14% 1856 711 −0.42% 1861 688 −0.66% 1866 633 −1.65% 1872 618 −0.40% 1876 645 +1.07% 1881 568 −2.51% 1886 509 −2.17% 1891 500 −0.36% 1896 454 −1.91% 1901 503 +2.07% 1906 537 +1.32%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1911 515 −0.83% 1921 462 −1.08% 1926 459 −0.13% 1931 465 +0.26% 1936 446 −0.83% 1946 410 −0.84% 1954 418 +0.24% 1962 407 −0.33% 1968 398 −0.37% 1975 351 −1.78% 1982 305 −1.99% 1990 331 +1.03% 1999 312 −0.65% 2007 323 +0.43% 2012 337 +0.85% 2017 345 +0.47%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE[8]

Arthenac War Memorial

Distribution of Age Groups

The entry to Arthenac

The population of the town is younger than the departmental average.

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Arthenac and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017

	Arthenac		Charente-Maritime
Age Range	Men	Women	Men	Women
0 to 14 Years	20.5	19.6	16.3	14.3
15 to 29 Years	14.5	10.1	15.4	13.1
30 to 44 Years	21.7	19.0	16.7	16.1
45 to 59 Years	19.9	18.4	20.2	19.9
60 to 74 Years	14.5	19.0	21.1	22.0
75 to 89 Years	9.0	11.7	9.4	12.3
90 Years+	0.0	2.2	1.0	2.4

Source: INSEE^[8][9]

Sites and monuments

The Church of Saint Martin

A street in Arthenac

Domaine de Pimbert

• The Church of Saint Martin (12th century) at Arthenac has had its central window restored. It is registered as a historical monument.^[10]

See also

• Communes of the Charente-Maritime department