Espagnac (; oc, Espanhac) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ...

department in central

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

The landscape is typically wooded hills.

Economy

The main economic activity is cattle raising though it now benefits from the recent trend of rural tourism.

History

Though evidences of

neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

and Celtic occupation exist on the commune's territory, the village itself was probably only founded during or after the

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

era, near the site of a villa not yet excavated. Some evidences suggest the presence of other villas and of a tile factory. The name of the village if of Latin origin, possibly derived from a family name. During the Middle Ages, Espagnac seems to have become a dwelling of local importance, as attested by the existence of a

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

mint (three gold coins with the mention "Spaniaco Fit" have been found), of a large cemetery where

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

have been exhumed and of an abbey. It seems to have been the head of a Carolingian vicaria. The first written mention of its name appears in the will of Adhemar des Echelles, around 930 AD. Then dependent on the

abbey of Tulle The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulle (Latin: ''Dioecesis Tutelensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Tulle'') is a Roman Catholic diocese in Tulle, France. The diocese of Tulle comprises the whole ''département'' of Corrèze. The Abbey of Tulle was foun ...

, Espagnac devolved during the

late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

, and both the abbey and the church were burnt down by the troops of Gaspard de Coligny during the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

. The current church dates back from the late 16th century. A small restored Carolingian Chapel and the privately owned medieval castle of Puy-de-Val are also present on the territory of the commune.

Population

References

Communes of Corrèze Corrèze communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia {{Corrèze-geo-stub

Geography

Economy

History

Population

See also

References