# Archiac

Archiac (French pronunciation:) is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.

## Geography

Archiac is located in the south of the department of Charente Maritime in the historic region of Saintonge some 20 km south of Cognac, 15 km north-west of Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire and 15 km north-east of Jonzac. The village has the status of a town and is located at the intersection of two main highways: the D699 from Arthenac in the south-west to Ambleville in the north-east; and the D731 from Cierzac in the north-west which continues south-east from the village. The north-eastern border of the commune is also the border between Charente-Maritime and Charente departments. Other access roads include the D149 which is a short-cut connection between the D699 and the D733 west of the village and the D152 which goes south from the village to Saint-Maigrin. There are also the hamlets of La Grue and Saint-Pierre north-east of the village. Apart from some wooded areas near the village the commune is entirely farmland.

### Neighbouring communes and villages

vtePlaces adjacent to Archiac :
Cierzac
Saint-Palais-du-Né
Sainte-Lheurine
Archiac
Lachaise
Arthenac
Brie-sous-Archiac
Saint-Eugène :

## History

* In the reign of Charlemagne Archiac was the seat of a viguerie.
* Upon the removal of Emma, the wife of the lord of Cognac, by the lord of Barbezieux in the 11th century, the Lord of Archiac gave them asylum: the castle was attacked, taken, and burnt.
* In 1219 the Lord of Archiac was Guillaume d'Archiac. During the Hundred Years War the castle was taken and retaken then became a den of Anglo-Gascon thieves before being taken and demolished.
* In 1609 the Barony of Archiac was raised to a marquisate.
* It was forbidden for the Protestant ministers Jacques Fountaines and Jean Hoummeau to preach and the temple was demolished in 1673.

### Heraldry

| Arms of Archiac | Blazon: Gules, two pales vairé, in chief Or. |

## Administration

List of successive mayors
| From | To | Name | Party |
| 1989 | 1995 | Jacques Dusaud | |
| 1995 | 2008 | François Robin | DVD |
| 2008 | 2014 | Carole Blanchard | |
| 2014 | 2020 | Didier Braud | |
| 2020 | 2023 | Maurice Gonzalez | |
| 2023 | 2026 | Suzy Cosson-Descubes | |

## Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Archiacais or Archiacaises in French. Arthenac was part of the Archiac commune until they were separated in 1831; the population data given in the table and graph below for 1821 and earlier include the commune of Arthenac.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1793 | 1,427 | — |
| 1800 | 1,533 | +1.03% |
| 1806 | 1,558 | +0.27% |
| 1821 | 1,691 | +0.55% |
| 1831 | 925 | −5.85% |
| 1836 | 965 | +0.85% |
| 1841 | 1,002 | +0.76% |
| 1846 | 1,066 | +1.25% |
| 1851 | 1,124 | +1.07% |
| 1856 | 1,148 | +0.42% |
| 1861 | 1,263 | +1.93% |
| 1866 | 1,227 | −0.58% |
| 1872 | 1,172 | −0.76% |
| 1876 | 1,178 | +0.13% |
| 1881 | 1,110 | −1.18% |
| 1886 | 1,097 | −0.24% |
| 1891 | 974 | −2.35% |
| 1896 | 927 | −0.98% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1901 | 855 | −1.60% |
| 1906 | 874 | +0.44% |
| 1911 | 802 | −1.70% |
| 1921 | 728 | −0.96% |
| 1926 | 805 | +2.03% |
| 1931 | 793 | −0.30% |
| 1936 | 779 | −0.36% |
| 1946 | 750 | −0.38% |
| 1954 | 737 | −0.22% |
| 1962 | 813 | +1.23% |
| 1968 | 856 | +0.86% |
| 1975 | 890 | +0.56% |
| 1982 | 868 | −0.36% |
| 1990 | 837 | −0.45% |
| 1999 | 864 | +0.35% |
| 2007 | 814 | −0.74% |
| 2012 | 797 | −0.42% |
| 2017 | 772 | −0.64% |
Source: EHESS and INSEE :

### Distribution of age groups

The population of the town is older than the departmental average.
Percentage distribution of age groups in Archiac and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017
| | Archiac | Archiac | Charente-Maritime | Charente-Maritime |
| Age Range | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| 0 to 14 Years | 17.0 | 14.0 | 16.3 | 14.3 |
| 15 to 29 Years | 12.8 | 12.3 | 15.4 | 13.1 |
| 30 to 44 Years | 16.4 | 12.8 | 16.7 | 16.1 |
| 45 to 59 Years | 19.2 | 18.0 | 20.2 | 19.9 |
| 60 to 74 Years | 21.7 | 20.8 | 21.1 | 22.0 |
| 75 to 89 Years | 11.0 | 15.6 | 9.4 | 12.3 |
| 90 Years+ | 1.8 | 6.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
Source: INSEE

## Sites and monuments

* The Parish Church of Saint-Pierre has a fragment of a statue from the Middle Ages depicting a mitred head which is registered as an historical object.
* A dolmen near Lavaure
* A chateau from the 9th century, repaired in the 11th century but now disappeared. It included the chapels of Our Lady and Saint-Martin.
* The House of the Vine and Fragrances

## Notable people linked to the commune

* Cardinal Simon d'Archiac (14th century), born in Archiac