Ardillières is a commune in the

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Chérente-Marine''; ) is a Departments of France, department in the French Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charente (river), Charen ...

department in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of southwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

Ardillières is located some 25 km south-east of

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

and 20 km east of

Châtelaillon-Plage Châtelaillon-Plage (, also ), commonly known as Châtelaillon, is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is ...

. Access to the commune is by the D111 road from Ciré-d'Aunis in the west passing through the commune and the village and continuing to the east. The D208 road also goes north-east from the village to join the D939 at Le Cher. The D205E2 also goes north-west from the village to

Le Thou Le Thou () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divis ...

. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of Les Perrieres, Toucherit, Villeneuve, and Bois des Mottes. The commune is entirely farmland apart from a few small patches of forest.Google Maps
/ref> The southern portion of the commune is covered with a network of canals which link to the Charras Canal which crosses the south of the commune from west to east.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ardilliérois'' or ''Ardilliéroises'' in French.

Distribution of Age Groups

The population of the town is younger than the departmental average. Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Ardillières and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Ardillières (17018)
/ref>

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has several sites and buildings that are registered as historical monuments: *The Château d'Ardillières (14th century). There are two round towers. The 17th century lodging is surrounded by farm buildings of the same period and recent constructions. The medieval cellar is remarkable. *The Pierre Levée

Dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

(

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

) *The Pierre-Fouquerée

(

) ;Other sites of interest *The Charras Canal *A Mill (Charles Goumard built it in the early 16th century). It contains a Lintel (1508) which is registered as an historical object. *A Wind Farm *Rural cottages

Religious heritage

The Parish Church of Saint Peter (11th century) is registered as an historical monument. The Church has a Bronze Bell (1635) which is registered as an historical object.Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Ardillières Picture Gallery

File:331 - Eglise Saint-Pierre - Ardillières.jpg, The Church of Saint Peter File:010 Ardillieres ( 17290 ).JPG, The entrance to the church File:007 Ardillieres ( 17290 ).JPG, The side of the church File:011 Ardillieres ( 17290 ).JPG, The War Memorial

Notable people linked to the commune

Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1706) or Sieur d'Iberville was a French soldier, explorer, colonial administrator, and trader. He is noted for founding the colony of Louisiana in New France. He was born in Montreal to French ...

, Squire of Iberville and Ardillières, founder of the Louisiana colony in 1700 where he built the Fort of Biloxi.

References

External links

Ardillières on the National Geographic Institute website

Ardillières on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Ardillières'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ardillieres Communes of Charente-Maritime