Benet, Vendée
Encyclopedia
Benet is a commune
in the Vendée
department in the Pays de la Loire
region
in western France
.
The former communes of Lesson, Sainte-Christine
and Aziré were joined to the commune of Benet in 1973.
(7 miles) in Deux-Sèvres
and Fontenay-le-Comte
(12 miles) in Vendée
, Benet is located near :
The diversity of the landscapes, the limestone plain, along with the marshes of Sainte-Christine
, Aziré and Nessier, make this commune a varied place, rich of its differences.
The Vrizon is the underground river that goes through the commune.
Benet is located close to the A83
and A10
motorways, connecting the commune to some major cities, as Nantes
(81 miles), Poitiers
(61 miles), Bordeaux
(120 miles), or Paris
(266 miles). Benet is also situated at 40 miles (64 km) from the touristical city of La Rochelle
.
A few miles away, it is possible to visit the historic site of the Maillezais Cathedral
.
A wind farm
was created near Lesson in 2007, and a second was established two miles (3 km) away from the first, several months later. A total of ten wind turbine
s overhang the commune.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
department in the Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The former communes of Lesson, Sainte-Christine
Sainte-Christine
Sainte-Christine is the name of several places:* Sainte-Christine, a commune of the Maine-et-Loire department of France* Sainte-Christine, a commune of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France...
and Aziré were joined to the commune of Benet in 1973.
Geography
Close to NiortNiort
Niort is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.The Latin name of the city was Novioritum.The population of Niort is 60,486 and more than 137,000 people live in the urban area....
(7 miles) in Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres is a French département. Deux-Sèvres literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department.-History:...
and Fontenay-le-Comte
Fontenay-le-Comte
Fontenay-le-Comte is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:The Vendée River flows though the town. The town has an area of .-History:...
(12 miles) in Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
, Benet is located near :
- South-Vendée
- Poitevin Marsh
- AtlanticAtlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
Coast
The diversity of the landscapes, the limestone plain, along with the marshes of Sainte-Christine
Sainte-Christine
Sainte-Christine is the name of several places:* Sainte-Christine, a commune of the Maine-et-Loire department of France* Sainte-Christine, a commune of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France...
, Aziré and Nessier, make this commune a varied place, rich of its differences.
The Vrizon is the underground river that goes through the commune.
Benet is located close to the A83
A83 autoroute
The A83 autoroute is a motorway in France. It is in the departments of Pays-de-la-Loire and Poitou-Charentes operated by ASF. It connects Nantes to Niort via Fontenay-le-Comte. The motorway has a junction with the A10 at Niort which gives access to the north and to Bordeaux connection. The A83...
and A10
A10 autoroute (France)
The A10, also called L'Aquitaine, is an Autoroute in France, running for 549 km from the A6 south of Paris to the A630 at Bordeaux. It generally parallels the N10 Route Nationale, but deviates significantly from the older N10 between Paris and Tours and between Poitiers and Bordeaux...
motorways, connecting the commune to some major cities, as Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
(81 miles), Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
(61 miles), Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
(120 miles), or Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(266 miles). Benet is also situated at 40 miles (64 km) from the touristical city of La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
.
History
- Benet was formerly named Benet-les-Noyers.
- Former seat of a cantonCantons of FranceThe cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
until 1801-1802, Benet has ultimately integrated the CantonCantons of FranceThe cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
of MaillezaisMaillezaisMaillezais is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It was once an island, until Monks of the Maillezais Abbey dug canals. Remains of the sea wall are still present, and canoe tours of the canals are a regular attraction to tourists.-External links:*,...
. - The communes of Lesson, Aziré and Sainte-ChristineSainte-ChristineSainte-Christine is the name of several places:* Sainte-Christine, a commune of the Maine-et-Loire department of France* Sainte-Christine, a commune of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France...
merged with the commune of Benet in 1973.
List of Mayors
| Period | Identity | Party |
|---|---|---|
| March 2001 - March 2008 | Daniel DAVID | Socialist Party |
| March 2008 - | Daniel DAVID | Socialist Party |
Demography
| Year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inhabitants | 2294 | 2583 | 2761 | 3062 | 3224 | 3202 | 3617 |
Monuments
The Sainte-Eulalie Church, on the historical register, constitutes an unmissable stage in the tour of the Romance Churches and Abbeys of the region.A few miles away, it is possible to visit the historic site of the Maillezais Cathedral
Maillezais Cathedral
Maillezais Cathedral was once a Roman Catholic cathedral, now ruined, in the commune of Maillezais in the Vendée, France.-History:The Benedictine Maillezais Abbey, founded in c...
.
A wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
was created near Lesson in 2007, and a second was established two miles (3 km) away from the first, several months later. A total of ten wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s overhang the commune.
Events
- Each first Sunday of July, the "Fête du PréfouPréfouThe préfou is a regional culinary specialty from Vendée, in France. The préfou is made with bread garnished with chopped fresh garlic and butter. It is generally served warm, as an aperitif....
" is organized in the harbor of Aziré. - In November, is organized the traditional "Foire aux alouettes" (Lark Fair).