Francescas
Encyclopedia
Francescas is a commune
in the Lot-et-Garonne
department in south-western France
.
The village of Francescas is one of only a dozen Bastide Villages in the region. While its inhabitants number
less than eight hundred, it is neither isolated, nor without commerce.
A kind and friendly village, having lots of commerce: bakery, grocery, butcher, gas station/news agent, bank, pharmacy, post office, hairdresser, tailor, small bar/hotel, highly rated fine restaurant, small regional museum, and gendarmerie.
, specially prepared livers of geese and ducks, seasoned and stuffed with regional truffles. Confit
(preserved goose and duck) is very famous and Francescas is a part of the Armagnac
region.
village founded by Edward I of England
in 1286 when this region alternated under French and English domain. The bastide, originally with its surrounding wall, extended in either direction from a profound Romanesque Church. Surrounded by walls, these villages were called bastide, for they were mainly built as a military defensive position. Inside the bastide, the old village was built to a grid layout, tiny streets connecting at right angles. At the center of the grid was, and still is an arcaded square.
Francescas belonged in the 11th century to the abbaye of Gourdon. The construction of the city was prior to the walled towns of Agen, which dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1369, Charles V of France
offered the city of Francescas to the Comte d'Armagnac. Francescas also became the seat of a bailiwick
of 1264 which lasted until the french revolution
.
The church and a town (villa) are quoted in 1161 among the goods of the abbey of Condom, in P. Simon. Siege of bailiwick in 1264 (Samazeuilh). According to Abbe Barrère, the abbot of Condom and the King conclude a pareage in 1285, as a result of customs which were granted to the city, it having 4 consuls. In 1286, a castrum mention is held by the abbot of Condom, Gers
and the King of France.
Etienne de Vignolles, called La Hire
, (Born 1390 - died 11 January 1443) was a French military commander during the Hundred Years' War
. He fought alongside Joan of Arc
in the campaigns of 1429. He owned a house in Francescas, which is still there.
The share of the Bishop of Condom was auctioned in 1576 and redeemed in 1582 by the lord of Lasserre, Jean Paul 's Esparbes Lussan; the remains of the latter was near the door Larque south, succeeding to the old episcopal
residence. The settlement was enclosed by a strong fortification
, surrounded by moats, and opened with 4 doors (of Bordeaux, the Well of Larque, Newfoundland or Ligardes), a fortress was mentioned in the city at the end of the 16th century. Two blockhouses were destroyed in 1590 for the safety of residents. From mid-16th century up to 1621, the inhabitants inside Francescas supported religious struggles, and therefor the walls are constantly being repaired. Larque gate was rebuilt during the 1st quarter of the 17th century. The paving of streets and the alignment contained in the decisions of mid 17th century. In 1660, the door of Bordeaux fell into ruin; in the years 1770-1780, the fortifications that no longer serve are definitely demolished and another door is destroyed. A number of houses have been rebuilt in the 2nd half of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the extension of the village 's made along roads, particularly in northern and east part of Francescas.
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 Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers.-History:Lot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department in south-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 village of Francescas is one of only a dozen Bastide Villages in the region. While its inhabitants number
less than eight hundred, it is neither isolated, nor without commerce.
A kind and friendly village, having lots of commerce: bakery, grocery, butcher, gas station/news agent, bank, pharmacy, post office, hairdresser, tailor, small bar/hotel, highly rated fine restaurant, small regional museum, and gendarmerie.
Economy
The most celebrated regional specialty is foie grasFoie gras
Foie gras ; French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding...
, specially prepared livers of geese and ducks, seasoned and stuffed with regional truffles. Confit
Confit
Confit is a generic term for various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavor and preservation. Sealed and stored in a cool place, confit can last for several months...
(preserved goose and duck) is very famous and Francescas is a part of the Armagnac
Armagnac (region)
The hilly countship of Armagnac , in the foothills of the Pyrenées between the Adour and Garonne rivers, is a historic countship of the Duchy of Gascony, established in 601 in Aquitaine...
region.
History
First mentioned in local history in 1025, Francescas is a bastideBastides
Bastides are fortified new towns built in medieval Languedoc, Gascony and Aquitaine during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, although some authorities count Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban, which was founded in 1144, as the first bastides...
village founded by Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
in 1286 when this region alternated under French and English domain. The bastide, originally with its surrounding wall, extended in either direction from a profound Romanesque Church. Surrounded by walls, these villages were called bastide, for they were mainly built as a military defensive position. Inside the bastide, the old village was built to a grid layout, tiny streets connecting at right angles. At the center of the grid was, and still is an arcaded square.
Francescas belonged in the 11th century to the abbaye of Gourdon. The construction of the city was prior to the walled towns of Agen, which dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1369, Charles V of France
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
offered the city of Francescas to the Comte d'Armagnac. Francescas also became the seat of a bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of 1264 which lasted until the french revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
The church and a town (villa) are quoted in 1161 among the goods of the abbey of Condom, in P. Simon. Siege of bailiwick in 1264 (Samazeuilh). According to Abbe Barrère, the abbot of Condom and the King conclude a pareage in 1285, as a result of customs which were granted to the city, it having 4 consuls. In 1286, a castrum mention is held by the abbot of Condom, Gers
Condom, Gers
Condom , also referred to as Condom-en-Armagnac, is a commune in southwestern France in the department of Gers, of which it is a subprefecture.-Way of St. James:...
and the King of France.
Etienne de Vignolles, called La Hire
La Hire
Étienne de Vignolles, called La Hire, was a French military commander during the Hundred Years' War. His nickname of La Hire would be that the English had nicknamed "the Hire-God" . He fought alongside Joan of Arc in the campaigns of 1429...
, (Born 1390 - died 11 January 1443) was a French military commander during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. He fought alongside Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
in the campaigns of 1429. He owned a house in Francescas, which is still there.
The share of the Bishop of Condom was auctioned in 1576 and redeemed in 1582 by the lord of Lasserre, Jean Paul 's Esparbes Lussan; the remains of the latter was near the door Larque south, succeeding to the old episcopal
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
residence. The settlement was enclosed by a strong fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
, surrounded by moats, and opened with 4 doors (of Bordeaux, the Well of Larque, Newfoundland or Ligardes), a fortress was mentioned in the city at the end of the 16th century. Two blockhouses were destroyed in 1590 for the safety of residents. From mid-16th century up to 1621, the inhabitants inside Francescas supported religious struggles, and therefor the walls are constantly being repaired. Larque gate was rebuilt during the 1st quarter of the 17th century. The paving of streets and the alignment contained in the decisions of mid 17th century. In 1660, the door of Bordeaux fell into ruin; in the years 1770-1780, the fortifications that no longer serve are definitely demolished and another door is destroyed. A number of houses have been rebuilt in the 2nd half of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the extension of the village 's made along roads, particularly in northern and east part of Francescas.