Country France Department Dordogne Intercommunality Périgord nontronnais Area 29.25 km² Local time Friday 7:11 AM | Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine Canton Nontron Time zone CET (UTC+1) Population 915 (1999) Arrondissement Nontron | |
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Weather 8°C, Wind NE at 6 km/h, 91% Humidity | ||
Javerlhac-et-la-Chapelle-Saint-Robert is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Javerlhac is in the Parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin.
Contents
Map of 24300 Javerlhac-et-la-Chapelle-Saint-Robert, France
Geography
The Bandiat river flows near the settlement of Javerlhac.
History
The two parishes and communes of Javerlhac and La Chapelle-Saint-Robert were united in 1823.
In the last century, a railway line ran between Nontron (the sub prefecture) and Angoulême in the Charente via Javerlhac. Although the rails have long since been removed and bridges demolished, part of the permanent way beginning approximately 6 kilometers from Javerlhac towards Angoulême (Charenet region) has now been converted to a cycle and horse-riding path and is also used by walkers. This track has been surfaced with asphalt but is blocked to motor vehicles and in some cases bridges have been restored or replaced to keep the path intact.
Some of the station houses along the line still remain and have been converted for various purposes. The old station house in Javerlhac is still standing and in good repair. It is now used as the fire brigade station for the part-time fire service. Firefighters are summoned by a siren which is situated on the town hall and controlled by the mayor's office. In summer months the siren can be heard almost daily as hay barns and hay ricks catch fire. The siren is tested every Sunday at midday.
The road leading to the old station from Place du 8 Mai 1945, is still called Avenue de la Gare.
Sights
The château de Javerlhac dates back to the 15th century and has a water mill for the making of nut oil.
La Chapelle-Saint-Robert dates back to the 12th century, it features a Romanesque building which classifies as a historic monument.
Close to the Mayor's office and post office there is a monument dedicated to members of the community who died in both World Wars.
About 5 kilometers from Javerlhac on the road to Angoulême, there are 3 small memorials to members of the resistance who were shot by the Nazis in World War II. Just opposite the old church there is a mill on the river Bandiat which is still in working order although only to show tourists how it was in former days. In the grounds of the mill there is a dovecote which is still used by a number of pigeons.
People
The painter Fernand Desmoulin (1853–1914) lived in the village of Javerlhac. Javerlhac, like most of the surrounding towns and villages is host to a small population of expatriate British families, mostly retired couples. There is also a small number of Irish and a few Dutch expatriates in the area. This is noticeable in the advertisements by some estate agents in the area where a lot of their publications and adverts are in English. Also, some banks such as Credit Agricole in nearby Nontron, and a number of notaires have signs in their windows informing customers and clients that "English is spoken here".