Arvert () 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 and

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 of south-western

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 ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Alvertons'' or ''Alvertonnes''.

Geography

Arvert is located some 14 km north-west of

Royan Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; ) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the Departments of France, department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Capital of the Côte de Beauté, Royan is one of the mai ...

and 8 km south of Marennes in the heart of the Peninsula of Arvert and the Royannnais Natural Region in the continental section of the

Côte de Beauté Côte Restaurants Group Limited, trading as Côte (formerly Côte Brasserie), stylised as CÔTE is a French-style British restaurant chain founded by Richard Caring, Andy Bassadone, Chris Benians and Nick Fiddler in Wimbledon, London in 2007. T ...

and near the famous Marennes-Oléron

Oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...

basin between the Seudre,

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

, and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. There are two oyster ports in the commune: Coux and Grève à Duret.Géoportail

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

, consulted on 3 May 2014 The commune is the centre of a conurbation comprising La Tremblade (the main urban centre), Étaules, and

Chaillevette Chaillevette () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. Population Gallery Image:Eglise de Chaillevette.jpg Image:CHV1.jpg Image:Chaillevette CHV2.jpg Image:CHV4.jpg See al ...

and could be considered part of the outlying "suburbs" of Royan which is the main urban centre and economic hub of the area. Administratively it is part of the canton of La Tremblade and the

arrondissement of Rochefort The arrondissement of Rochefort () is an arrondissement (district) in the Charente-Maritime department in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. It has 78 communes. Its population is 194,579 (2021), and its area is . Composition The communes ...

. Access to the commune is by the D14 main road running north-west to south-east connecting La Tremblade to Saujon and passing north-west of the town. Access to the town is by the D14E1 road from La Tremblade through the town to Étaules. The D141 also connects the town to the D14 and continues south-west to Les Mathes. The D25 starts in the commune and bypasses La Tremblade to the north and continues to Ronce-les-Bains. The D268 branches of the D25 in the commune and goes west to the beaches on the west coast.Google Maps
/ref> As a significant economic and tourism centre, Arvert is located close to several large urban centres:

(14.7 km SE),

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the G ...

(30 km NE), and Saintes (38 km E). To a lesser extent,

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 ...

(47 km N) and

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

(110 km SSE) are large regional cities whose influence remains strong. Arvert is also close to many small centres of lesser importance: Étaules (2 km SE) and La Tremblade (3 km NW), which form a single urban area; Breuillet (8 km SE), Marennes (10 km N), and Bourcefranc-le-Chapus (12 km N) near the island of

Oléron The Isle of Oléron or Oléron Island (, ; Saintongese dialect, Saintongese: ''ilâte d'Olerun''; , ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Rochefort), on the southern side of the Pertuis d'Antio ...

. Arvert with the rest of the department belongs to the

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

area - or more specifically "South Atlantic". The commune also lies within two major geographical areas: the

Grand-Ouest The Grand-Ouest () is a geographical area of France that encompasses Brittany and Pays de la Loire. Traditionally, this area has a very agriculture-based economy. The largest cities are Rennes and Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city ...

and the ''Grand South-West''. Arvert has an area of 2,622 hectares consisting largely of agricultural land, forests (the edge of the

Forest of la Coubre The Forest of la Coubre () is a large forest in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, near the city of Royan. Its area is roughly 7916 hectares, making it the third largest ''National Forest (France), forêt domaniale'' (French State's inalienable ...

) and reclaimed land (the city centre and the main villages of Piochet, Maine-Amouroux, Dirée, Villeneuve, le Boudignon, Avallon, and the oyster ports of Coux and Grève à Duret). The eastern part of the commune directly borders the Seudre estuary and is made up of oyster farms within the famous Marennes-Oléron basin. The countryside consists of humid green meadows and extensive gray-blue mudflats (the Seudre marshes) highlighted by golden lines of reeds, hedges, and aquatic plants with, in line of sight, the Marennes steeple forming a landmark. The commune has a low relief, being formed of a

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

plateau with a slightly wavy border against the Seudre marshlands. It is partially dry (Pré des Landes is a relic of the former Gulf of Arvert which became the Barbareu Pond in the Middle Ages) drained by small rivers (Le Grand Ecours). The highest point of the commune barely exceeds 25 metres. The plateau rises to 12 metres at Martichou, 17 metres in front of the church, 20 metres at Maine-Amouroux, and 22 metres near the school.

Places and Hamlets

*Les Allains *L'Anglade *Arse *Avallon *Les Baudits *La Beaune *La Blague du Monde *Blanchette *Bois Volet *Le Boudignon *Les Boutinaudes *Les Brassons *Le Calme *La Carolie Farm *Cayenne *La Champagne *La Chapelaine *Les Cinq Journaux *Les Coutures *Coux *L'Etrade *Fief de Bellevue *Fief de Besse *Le Fond d'Arse *Les Fouilloux *Le Fourniller *Le Geay *Grève à Duret *La Guillate *La Jument *Les Justices *Lerpine *Maine *Le Maine Amouroux *Le Maine Gabaud *La Metairie *Montravail Farm *Le Moulin Brute *Le Moulin de Toinet *Prise de Bremont *Prise de Chateur Paire *Prise de la Couronne *Prise du Grand Jas de Coux *Prise de la Peu Mignon *Prise de la Roche *Le Petit Pont *Le Piochet *La Pirouette *Les Robinettes *Les Romanes *Savigny *Treilebois Farm

Neighbouring communes and villages

Transport

Bicycle paths

The commune has a network of bicycle paths as part of the "Pathways of Seudre" - a collaboration between the Department Council, the Agglomeration Community Royan Atlantique, and the Community of communes of the Marennes basin. The network has been operated since 2007 and allows the exploration of oyster farms and the Seudre Marsh landscape.

Public Transport

The town is served by the ''Cara'Bus'' public transport network which connects to other communes in the Royannaise agglomeration. It was inaugurated on 2 January 2006 under the name " Très Royannais" and was originally composed of hybrid minibuses (electric and diesel). It has been operated since September 2008 by the

Veolia Transport Veolia Transport (formerly Connex and CGEA Transport) was the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia until the 2011 merger that gave rise to Veolia Transdev, later renamed Transdev. Veolia Tr ...

company and was renamed "Cara'Bus" since then. A modernization of the urban transport network in the agglomeration on 5 January 2009 led to the purchase of Heuliez shuttle buses as well as increasing the number of regular routes from three to ten with three additional routes in summer. Five Cara'Bus stops are located in the commune: Maine-Giraud, Arvert-Mairie, Les Fouilloux, L'Étrade, and Le Petit Pont at the exit from the town on the border of Les Mathes and La Tremblade. Three bus routes serve the commune: *Route 42 starts at Étaules passing all the stops in the commune and going to La Tremblade, Ronce-les-Bains, and Marennes; *Route 41 starts from Ronce-les-Bains and goes to Cozes via La Tremblade, Arvert, Étaules, Chaillevette, Breuillet (Le Magarin stop), Saint-Sulpice-de-Royan (Fontbedeau stop), Saujon, Le Chay, and Grézac; *Route 22 connects Ronce-les-Bains to the Royan multimodal railway station via La Tremblade, Arvert, Étaules, Chaillevette, Breuillet (Centre-Ville), Vaux-sur-Mer (Val Lumière shopping centre), and

. The commune is also served by the ''Les Mouettes'' departmental transport company, more specifically by the routes 409, 410, and 411 which connect Breuillet to Bourcefranc-le-Chapus via Étaules, La Tremblade, and Marennes. This service links to the main cities of the department.

Air transport

The nearest airport is that of Rochefort Saint-Agnant, about 25 kilometres north. The La Rochelle – Île de Ré Airport, 50 kilometres north, has services to some major French cities such as

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

as well as the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

and

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

. About 100 kilometres south-east of the commune, Bordeaux - Merignac Airport is an international airport with connections to many countries. The Royan – Médis Aerodrome, about 17 kilometres south-east, is reserved for light aviation.

Toponymy

The name ''Arvert'' comes from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''artum'' meaning a "narrow place" and ''viride'' meaning "green".

History

Arvert has been inhabited since

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 ...

times, the site of the present commune of Arvert was formerly limited to a narrow strip of land between two ocean bays. Although a first village appeared in

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingd ...

, it was only from the 12th century that it grew in importance and a monastic community was established built using a grant from the Lord of Mornac. Shortly afterwards Arvert became an independent lordship with many parishes under its jurisdiction: those of ''Trembledam'' (now La Tremblade), ''Notre-Dame de l'Isle'' (now Étaules),

, Les Mathes, and the parish of ''La Roche'' which no longer exists. In 1534 Calvin made speeches at

Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture. Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...

and

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

that young Saintonge monks from heard. Reform was soon preached in all of the Arvert peninsula and by 1550 the majority of the population was

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. In 1546 and again in 1553 a total of three monks were condemned to the stake for having preached reform in Arvert. In 1568 the church was burned and almost completely destroyed. In the same year the first Protestant church was built in the village. In 1598 the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

was promulgated. All means were tried to convert the Protestants. In 1644 the Protestant denomination was prohibited in Arvert. In 1682 King

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

ordered the destruction of the Protestant church. The

revocation of the Edict of Nantes The Edict of Fontainebleau (18 October 1685, published 22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to pra ...

in 1685 accelerated the exodus of Protestants from the peninsula despite the ban on leaving France imposed on them. Fugitives were arrested and sent to the galleys. On 21 February 1687 three boats loaded with fugitives leaving Mornac,

, and La Tremblade were immobilized by soldiers on the Seudre. Despite the arrests, the peninsula was emptied of its people. Those who remained created an underground church they called the ''Church of the Desert''. Clandestine meetings were held in the dunes, woods, or in barns. ''Jean-Louis Gibert'', pastor of the Desert, fitted out the barns as "Houses of Prayer" from 1751. There were two near Arvert: one at Avallon and one at

. In 1754 the pastor was sentenced to death and went into exile in America. Arvert was a

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

under the

ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, belonging to

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

before moving to the ''Senectère'' family. In 1790 Arvert was made into a commune. Shortly after a quarrel erupted between the representatives of the communes of La Tremblade and Arvert: each trying to become the capital of the canton. For economic reasons it was La Tremblade who finally obtained that privilege. Occupied by German troops during the Second World War, the village was the scene of heavy fighting during the liberation of the Royan pocket in April 1945.

Policy and Administration

Municipal administration

From 1789 to 1799, under the Act of 14 December 1789, the ''municipal agents'' (equivalent to mayors) were directly elected for 2 years and re-elected by the working citizens of the town aged 25 years or more who paid a tax of at least 3 days of work in the commune. Those who were eligible paid a tax equivalent to at least ten working days. Arvert2

From 1799 to 1848, under the constitution of ''22 Frimaire Year VIII'' (13 December 1799), mayors were appointed by the

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

for communes with less than 5,000 inhabitants. The Restoration established the appointment of mayors and councillors. After the 1831 organic law mayors were appointed (by the king for communes with more than 3,000 inhabitants, by the prefect for smaller) but councillors were elected by censal suffrage for six years. From 3 July 1848 to 1851 mayors were elected by the municipal council for communes with fewer than 6,000 inhabitants. From 1851 to 1871 mayors were appointed by the prefect for communes with less than 3,000 inhabitants and for 5 years from 1855. After 1871 mayors were elected again except in the capital towns (of departments, arrondissements, or cantons). It was on 28 March 1882 that the current law on municipal organization was passed which governed the principle of election of the mayor and the deputy by the council whatever the size of the commune (except for Paris). The law of 5 April 1884 fixed the term to four years, a duration increased to six years on 10 April 1929. According to its size, the commune has a council of 23 members (Article L2121-2 of the General Code of local authorities).

List of Successive Mayors

Canton

Arvert is one of the six communes in the Canton of La Tremblade. In 2010 it was the second most populous town behind La Tremblade and above Étaules.

Inter-communality

Arvert is one of 34 communes adhering to the Urban Community of Royan Atlantique which includes the communes in the greater periphery of

Courts

Arvert depends on the

Tribunal d'instance In France prior to 2020, the ''Tribunal d'instance'' (literally "Court of First Instance") was a judicial lower court of record of first instance for general civil suits and included a criminal division, the Police Court (''tribunal de police''), ...

(district court) and the ''

Conseil de prud'hommes In France, the Labour Courts or employment tribunals () resolve individual disputes arising out of an employment contract. The dispute is resolved by a judgment only if conciliation cannot be achieved by the court. Judges are not professionals; cur ...

'' (Labour Court) of

; the ''Tribunal de grande instance'' (High Court), the ''Tribunal pour enfants'' (

Juvenile court Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...

), and the ''

Tribunal de commerce In France, the ''tribunal de commerce'' (plural ''tribunaux de commerce'', literally "commercial courts") are the oldest courts in the French judicial organization. They were created at the end of the Middle Ages. The commercial court has jur ...

'' (Commercial Court) of

; the ''Tribunal administratif'' (Administrative Court) and the ''Cour d'appel'' (

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

) of

. The ''Cour administrative d'appel'' (Administrative Court of Appeal) is in

Local taxation

A regional share of the Dwelling tax is not applicable. Professional tax was replaced in 2010 by the ''Land premium for companies'' (CFE) on the rental value of their property and the value added contribution of the business sector (CAVE) (the two forming the ''Territorial Economic Contribution'' (CET) which is a local tax introduced by the Finance Act 2010).Law No. 2009-1673 of 30 December 2009 of finance for 2010
Légifrance website

Population and Society

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 3,448 inhabitants. Centre Arvert

Distribution of Age Groups

The population of the town is relatively old. The ratio of persons above the age of 60 years (32.9%) is higher than the national average (21.8%) and the departmental average (29.0%). Unlike national and departmental allocations, the male population of the town is less than the female population (47.2% against 48.1% nationally and 48.2% at the departmental level). Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Arvert and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Arvert (17021)
/ref>

Education

Arvert depends on the ''Academy of Poitiers''. The town has a kindergarten (small, medium, and large section) and an elementary school. Both schools have a school restaurant (self-service for students from the CP). Youth policy is set across the Canton of La Tremblade. It is managed by a SIVOM (''Syndicat intercommunal à vocations multiples'') and aims to accommodate children outside school times. It consists of three divisions: infants, children (3–12 years), and youths (13–18 years). Three

Nursery school A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin c ...

s are open to children of the canton: "La Farandole" and "Pirouettes Cacahuètes" in Arvert town centre, and "Les petites goules" at La Tremblade. The cantonal leisure centre is located in the commune and is open to children from 3 years old. It is a

Summer camp A summer camp, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp, is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps ...

without accommodation offering crafts, expression workshops, games, and activities (tree climbing, swimming, horseback riding, etc.). Mini-camps are organized during the summer. Finally, the "Maison de La Treille" at La Tremblade is open to youths aged 13 to 18 years. It offers sports activities, workshops, and outings (surfing, paintball, diving, etc.). It also offers a room with video games and internet access. Young people can also submit their own projects.

Health and Safety

The town has a general practice medical centre, two nursing centres, a physiotherapist, and a pharmacy. The nearby towns of La Tremblade, Étaules, and Royan offer a wider range of care with the presence of numerous specialists, a hospital with an emergency department, and two private clinics in Royan. Security of property and people is ensured by the municipal police and the Police station at La Tremblade. The town also hosts a rescue centre with firemen.

Sports

The commune has many sports facilities in addition to those already present in the other communes of the agglomeration (La Tremblade, Étaules, and Chaillevette). The Valentin Guillon stadium is located close to the city centre and can accommodate 2,100 spectators (122 in the stands). It consists of two grass football pitches where the home team trains (Arvert Peninsula Football Club), a running track, and an area for jumping and throwing. The town also has an indoor arena (indoor tennis, handball and basketball), two tennis courts, and a leisure park with a multi-sports area for teenagers, a petanque court, and a playground for children. Four hiking trails (walking or cycling) are available in the commune.

Media

Television

The transmitters at Royan-Vaux-sur-Mer and Niort-Maisonnay allow the reception of 18 free channels of

Digital terrestrial television Digital terrestrial television (DTTV, DTT, or DTTB) is a technology for terrestrial television, in which television stations broadcast television content in a digital signal, digital format. Digital terrestrial television is a major technologica ...

(TNT) across the whole commune including the local

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air Public broadcasting, public television network. The second flagship network of France Télévisions, it broadcasts a wide range of general and specialized programming. France 3 is structured as a Region ...

Poitou-Charentes station. On 31 May 2009, the high-power transmitter was among the first to broadcast a new multiplex which allowed the reception of the first transmissions of

High-definition television High-definition television (HDTV) describes a television or video system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since at least 1933; in more recent times, it ref ...

(HD).

Radio

Most national radio stations present in the department can be heard in the commune. Departmental information is relayed by public radio station

France Bleu Ici (; formerly ''France Bleu'' ) is a network of local and regional radio stations in France, part of the national public broadcasting group Radio France. The network has a public service mission to serve local audiences and provides local new ...

. The local radio stations that can be heard in the commune are mainly: *''Vogue Radio'' (a local radio station of the commune whose studios are in the city centre and which is transmitted throughout the peninsula including Royan), *''Demoiselle FM'' (general broadcasting from Rochefort with studios in

Saint-Georges-de-Didonne Saint-Georges-de-Didonne () is a Communes of France, commune in the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France.Fouras) *''Mixx radio'' (techno, dance, and electronic music broadcasting from

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

and retransmitted by the Saintes transmitter) *''RCF Accords Charente-Maritime'' (religious broadcasting from La Rochelle). ''Wit FM'' (general broadcasting from

) can sometimes be heard but randomly depending on weather conditions.

Press

Local press is represented by the daily '' Sud Ouest'', headquartered in

, which has a local edition from

Broadband Internet

Main distribution frame In telephony, a main distribution frame (MDF or main frame) is a signal distribution frame for connecting equipment (inside plant) to cables and subscriber carrier equipment ( outside plant). Overview The MDF is a termination point within the ...

is located in the commune. In 2013, it is unbundled by several alternative operators ( SFR, Free, and

Bouygues Telecom Bouygues Telecom S.A. () is a French mobile phone, Internet service provider and IPTV company, part of the Bouygues group. It is the third oldest mobile network operator in France, after Orange and SFR, and before Free Mobile, and provides 2 ...

) in addition to the incumbent operator,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

ADSL Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over Copper wire, copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem ...

ADSL2+ G.992.5 (also referred to as ADSL2+, G.dmt.bis+, and G.adslplus) is an ITU-T standard for asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) broadband Internet access. The standard has a maximum theoretical downstream sync speed of 24 megabits per secon ...

, Re-ADSL 2, and ADSL television are available in the commune.

Worship

Arvert belongs to the

Roman Catholic Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes The Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the département of Charente-Maritime and the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. The bishop is a ...

which has been a sub-division of the ''Ecclesiastical province of Poitiers'' since 2002 (''Ecclesiastical Province of Bordeaux'' before that date) and the Deanery of Marennes-Oléron. The parish is included in the Parish of the Arvert Peninsula centred on Marennes. Mass is celebrated every Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the church of Saint-Étienne. Arvert houses a Church of the

Reformed Church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

where there are services on some Sundays at 10:30am, alternating between La Tremblade, Marennes, Étaules, and Chaillevette. Other religions do not have a place of worship in the town.

Market

A food market is held every Wednesday and Saturday morning (from 8:00am to 12:30pm) on the Market Square in the city centre. It brings together twice a week ten producers (fishmongers, butchers, vegetable sellers, etc.). The restructuring of the market place, initiated in the early 2010s, resulted in the construction of modern halls with simple lines and openwork. It was opened on 1 June 2011.

Economy

Employment

The unemployment rate in the commune is higher than the national average. It was 14.9% in 1999 (national average 12.9%), 12.8% in 2006 (national average 9.8%) and 14.8% in 2017 (national average: 13.4%). An "Employment point" was set up in 1992 at La Tremblade to attempt to regulate this problem and helping people adapt to changes in the labour market. Working in partnership with the Employment office of Pays Royannais, the Employment centre of Royan, seasonal workers office, and the local Pays Royonais, it provides access to job offers, helps with some tasks (e.g. resume writing, preparing for job interviews) and participates in collective briefings.

Businesses and shops

The commune is at the centre of an attractive labour pool: the employment zone of Royan (coming from the partition of the former employment zone of Saintonge maritime, which included many communes of Pays Rochefortais, Pays Marennes-Oleron and Pays Royannais), with 27,753 jobs in 2008.Thirteen new Employment zones in Poitou-Charentes
INSEE, consulted on 5 August 2012 . The Employment zone of Royan is, with that of

, the most dynamic region in

Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes (; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ) was an administrative region on the southwest coast of France. It comprised four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. It included the historical provinces of Angoumo ...

with both enjoying "an economic fabric and a dynamic demography" (INSEE). Growth is particularly strong due to the development of tertiary activities. 307 establishments were identified in the commune by INSEE on 31 December 2015 - mostly very small businesses: 73 with from 1-9 employees and only 14 over 10 employees. The sectors of oyster farming and agriculture remain important in the community, the two of them having 12.8% of employees.Dossier complet: Commune d'Arvert (17021)
INSEE, accessed 16 August 2020 Thirty oyster farms are located in Arvert, mostly in the two ports of Coux and Grève à Duret who operate all the production, refining, and shipping of oysters from the Marennes-Oléron basin. Trades and services are booming as a consequence of the development of the area and the benefits of tourism which does not only concern the coastal communities. The proximity of resorts on the

(and also Ronce-les-Bains) and a pine forest on the outskirts of the town (

) account for a growing increase in tourism which has helped in the establishment of appropriate infrastructure (three campsites, one holiday village) and a tourist office in the city centre. In late 2015, commerce, services (for people and business), and tourism together employed 31.5% of the work force. The construction sector, which is in fourth place, employs 4.3%. Public administration, education, health, and social welfare employ 49.3% of the workforce and Industry, which is only slightly represented in the commune, only employs barely 2.1% of the work force. The commune has many shops that complement those already present in the neighbouring communes of La Tremblade and Étaules: these three towns form a single entity closely linked at the macro-economic level. The shops are concentrated in the town centre, along the road to La Tremblade but also in the commercial zone of Justices near the ring road. The town centre has a supermarket ( Carrefour City) nearby and is surrounded by a small mall with a petrol station, an

ALDI Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...

hard-discount store, two bakeries, a library/newsagent, a driving school, two estate agents, two hardware stores, a fast food outlet, several restaurants, a second-hand shop, a funeral home, a computer store, and two hair salons. At the exit from the town there is a

Super U Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter/player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard button) ...

hypermarket (2,985 square metres of sales area) which replaced a smaller store. Its construction began in the autumn of 2013 and lasted until the spring of 2014. The mall opened on 24 April 2014. A few hundred yards away, but in the commune of La Tremblade, is an

Intermarché Intermarché (English translation: Intermarket) is a brand of general commercial hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores owned by French retail group Les Mousquetaires. It mainly operates in France, French-speaking Belgium, Poland an ...

supermarket. The nearest major shopping area are in the Royannaise Agglomeration (CC Val Lumière and Hyper Intermarché in Vaux-sur-Mer and CC Royan II and E. Leclerc in Royan).

Culture and heritage

Sites and Monuments

;Church of Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne church has very old foundations and suffered greatly during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

. In 1568 the old Romanesque church was attacked by the

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

which almost completely destroyed it - as was the church of Saint-Symphorien de Dirée (which was never rebuilt). The facade retains some architectural elements dating from the 12th century: two beams of seven columns surmounted by

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

s and some

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

s. All testify to the fantasy and humour deployed by medieval workmen. One of the capitals shows a character vomiting a snake that turns on him and bites his cheek; another shows a man's head, who appears to be a pirate or a Viking looking towards the old Gulf of Arvert. The present church dates from 1683 (the date is on one of the buttresses in the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

), making it the oldest in the Canton of La Tremblade. It owes its reconstruction to Father Jean de Lafargue, parish priest from 1672 to 1717. Changes were made to the building in the 19th century: primarily the construction of the bell tower (1845) - a solid stone tower with a slate spire, the increase in the height of the walls, the addition of small chapels (false

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

), and an enlargement of the

(1890). The church, which is very plain, consists of a large

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

covered with a plastered vault lowered and lit by a series of bays which are sometimes ogival and sometimes semicircular where stained glass windows were placed in the taste of the 19th century. In the choir, two windows represent

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

and

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

. A stone

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

is placed near the north chapel. The bell tower features a set of three bells: "Marie-Émilie" (A flat, 450 kg), "Frances, Stephanie, Josephus, Jeanne" (B flat, 310 kg) and "Mary, Martha, Leon, Eustelle" (D, 230 kg). The front of the church has a domed well from the 18th century. ;Protestant church The

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

was implanted early in the Arvert peninsula which was open to the sea and consequently to the region and new ideas from maritime hawkers and traders from northern European countries. The Protestant population was large enough for a first church to be built in 1566 along the path connecting Arvert to Les Mathes. It became too small, too outdated, or perhaps simply not corresponding to the needs of worship, it was replaced by a new building in 1609. At times threatened with destruction, it maintained its function by an order of 28 February 1664.Arvert: The history of Temples
temple.free.fr website The pressure on the Protestant community become more intense. Pressed to give up their "mistakes", the Protestants were denied their place of worship by an edict of the

Conseil du Roi The (; 'King's Council'), also known as the Royal Council, is a general term for the administrative and governmental apparatus around the King of France during the Ancien Régime designed to prepare his decisions and to advise him. It should no ...

(King's council) on 2 March 1682. The building was completely destroyed including the foundations. The materials used to restore the Church of Saint-Étienne. With no building available, worship was then celebrated in private houses or in the open air, until that practice was specifically prohibited by an edict of King

dated 23 March 1683. In 1685 the

Edict of Fontainebleau The Edict of Fontainebleau (18 October 1685, published 22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to prac ...

, which revoked the

, for more than a century forced Protestants in the region to a semi-clandestine existence and sometimes into exile. In 1755 a prayer house was built in Avallon. It was not until 1834 that the commune acquired a large property, purchased from the heirs of ''Martin Descombes'': while the commune sold the gardens at auction, the Protestant consistory bought materials to build the new church from the year 1836. It was restored several times - in 1885, 1897, and 1902 (purchase of new furniture) and was subject to a true "makeover" in 1903 (restoration of the roof of the structure, the frames, etc.) and in 2000. Very plain from an architectural perspective, it forms a simple rectangular room lit by arched windows. ;Avallon House of prayer In the second half of the 18th century and under the influence of

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

ideas and thanks to the tenacity of pastors such as Louis Gibert, a series of prayer houses (churches fitted in barns and private houses) were built around

. Persecution against the Protestants, always a reality, dropped in intensity thanks to the protection of the Marquis de Sénecterre, Marshal of France and Governor of Saintonge. ''The Prayer houses of the Arvert peninsula''
, Robert Martel The first house of prayer was built in 1755 at Breuillet: if it was burned by court order, it was immediately rebuilt. In a few weeks, other places of worship appeared. The sale of a plot of land at Avallon (a small port then located a short distance from the town) by Martine Pasdejeu allowed the construction of a first house of prayer and the benefactor was sentenced to detention in the hospice of La Rochelle. The place of prayer was demolished but was rebuilt at the earliest opportunity. It has some importance because in 1781 it housed the Synod of the Churches of Saintonge, Angoumois, and Bordeaux. Due to many maintenance problems, however, it was decided to build a modern temple in 1834. The Avallon house of prayer Avallon was far from the town centre yet continued to be used and even restored the same year (dedication was made on 20 April 1834). It was sold in 1955 and is now part of a private property. It is one of the few houses of prayer still standing - a testimony to this type of construction in Charente-Maritime with the Maine-Geoffroy Church at Royan and the former house of prayer at Luzac (the one of ''Paterre'' at Chaillevette has unfortunately been completely destroyed). ;The Mill at Justices Moulin de Cabouci

At the beginning of the 19th century the commune still had twenty windmills but only four have survived. ''Le Moulin des Justices'' (Justices mill), built in the 16th century, is the oldest of them. This mill is named after the place where manorial justice was executed under the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

. Its sails, which are missing, were built on the ''Berton system'' which allowed adjustment to the sails even when the mill was in operation. ;Stèle of

General de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

This stele dates from 1949 and commemorates the arrival of General de Gaulle in Arvert on 22 April 1945 shortly after the Liberation of the Arvert peninsula and the Royan pocket. It took three days of fierce fighting to finally obtain the capitulation of the last German troops entrenched in their bunkers in the

Other sites and monuments

*Several mills located in the commune: the Cabouci Mill, the Lauriers Mill, the Petit Pont Mill *A domed well in the church square. *The port of La Grève à Duret and the port of Coux *The tourist ''Train des mouettes'' passes through the commune *The lodgings of Fouilloux *The War memorial

Culture

;Cultural facilities Arvert has a Public Library located opposite the Town Hall (in the premises of the old town hall). ;Saintongeais language

The commune is located in the linguistic area of ''Saintonge'', a dialect belonging to the family of

Langues d'oïl The ''langues d'oïl'' are a dialect continuum that includes standard French and its closest relatives historically spoken in the northern half of France, southern Belgium, and the Channel Islands. They belong to the larger category of Gallo- ...

branch of the

Romance languages The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...

, which also includes French, Angevin,

Picard Picard may refer to: Places * Picard, Quebec, Canada * Picard, California, United States * Picard (crater), a lunar impact crater in Mare Crisium People and fictional characters * Picard (name), a list of people and fictional characters with th ...

, and Poitevin with which it is often grouped in the broader classification of Poitevin-Saintongeais. Saintongeais (''saintonjhais'') is the vernacular spoken in the former provinces of

Aunis Aunis () is a historical Provinces of France, province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Châtelaillon-Plage, Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) t ...

Saintonge Saintonge may refer to: *County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast * Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province * Saintonge ware, a medieval pottery type produced in Saintes reg ...

, and

Angoumois Angoumois (), historically the County of Angoulême, was a county and province of France, originally inferior to the parent duchy of Aquitaine, similar to the Périgord to its east but lower and generally less forested, equally with occasional ...

. It is also called ''Charentais'' or ''patois Charentais''. Speakers are called ''patoisants''. Saintongeais strongly influenced

Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...

and therefore, by extension,

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

. Quebecois was influenced by dialects such as

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

Francien Francien may refer to: * Francien language * Francien, feminine given name, Dutch version of the name Francine, borne by: ** Francien de Zeeuw Sub-lieutenant, Luitenant ter zee der 2de klasse Francien de Zeeuw (Terneuzen, 19 May 1922 – Midde ...

, and

Saintongeais Saintongeais (; endonym: ''séntunjhaes'') is a dialect of Poitevin–Saintongeais spoken halfway down the western coast of France in the former provinces of Saintonge, Aunis and Angoumois, all of which have been incorporated into the current ...

. The Saintongeais language has many features in common with languages such as Cajun or Acadian which is explained by the Saintonge origins of some of the emigrants to

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

in the 17th century. ;Gastronomy Saintonge gastronomy is mainly focused on three types of products: the products of the land, the sea, and the vine.

Pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

preparations dominate the regional cuisine: *''gratons'' or ''grillons'', kinds of

Rillettes Rillettes (, also , ) is a preservation method similar to confit where meat is seasoned then submerged in fat and cooked slowly over the course of several hours (4 to 10 hours). The meat is shredded and packed into sterile containers covered in ...

based on fried meats and preserved in their fat, *''gigorit'' or ''gigourit'', a

Jugging Jugging is the process of stewing whole animals, mainly game or fish, for an extended period in a tightly covered container such as a casserole or an earthenware jug. In France a similar stew of a game animal (historically thickened with the anim ...

combining blood, throat, liver, and onions, sauce de la pire, onions, and local white wine.''Charente-Maritime'', Encyclopedia Bonneton, p. 106-107 The Saintonge kitchen includes many recipes for ''cagouilles'', the local name of the brown garden snail. Saintonge meat is especially cooked "à la charentaise" - i.e. cooked in a broth accented with white wine, garlic, and bread crumbs. Among other local specialties there are the ''pibales'' (Eels) (fry of eel caught in the

, speciality of

Mortagne-sur-Gironde Mortagne-sur-Gironde () is a Communes of France, commune in the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department in southwestern France. Bordering the banks of the Gironde estuary, this small town was for centuries a principality, a title it ...

and

Blaye Blaye (; ) is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. For centuries, Blaye was a particularly convenient crossing point for those who came from the north and went to Bordeaux or fur ...

), oysters from Marennes-Oléron,

sardine Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it com ...

s of Royan, ''thyeusses de gueurnouilles'' (

Frog legs Frog legs () are the muscular hindlimbs of frogs that are consumed as food by humans in some cuisines. Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium. They are often said to taste like chicken because of the mild fl ...

), and ''sanglette'' - a cake prepared with chicken blood and cooked onions. Traditional desserts are from peasant cuisine: ''Millas'' (cornflour cake, found in much of the South-West of France), ''galette charentaise'' (Charente waffle) in Charentes-Poitou butter, or "merveilles" (doughnuts). Arvert is located in the wine production area of "ordinary wood".

Bibliography

*Paul Travers, Pastor of Mathes, ''In Arvert country, historical and folklorical work'', 1973 *Henri Moreau, ''Lords and Domains in Arvert'', 2008

References

External links

''Arvert'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Charente-Maritime