Hiers-Brouage is a small commune in France located in the Charente-Maritime département in the Poitou-Charentes région. Population (1999): 472. The commune is an administrative division of France. ... Charente-Maritime is a département on the west coast of France named after the Charente River. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. ... Categories: Stub | Regions of France ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common...

History

Brouage was founded in 1555 by Jacques de Pons on the Bay of Biscay facing the Atlantic Ocean. Its economy was based on salt and access to the sea. The town was fortified between 1630 and 1640 by Cardinal Richelieu as a Catholic bastion in order to fight against the neighbouring Protestant town of La Rochelle. Gradually the harbour silted up in the last part of the 17th century, leaving the town stranded and useless as a port. It fell into ruin. The Bay of Biscay (French: Golfe de Gascogne; Spanish: Mar Cantábrico) is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... Cardinal Richelieu was the French chief minister from 1624 until his death. ... The entrance to the old La Rochelle harbour, with the two 14th century towers. ...

The town's most celebrated son is the French navigator Samuel de Champlain born there in 1567, and the co-founder of French settlement in Acadia and Quebec. Samuel de Champlain by Théophile Hamel (1870) Samuel de Champlain (1567 – 1635) was a French geographer, draftsman, explorer and founder of Quebec City. ... There is a also a U.S. national park called Acadia National Park; For the former electoral district, see Acadia (electoral district) The national flag of Acadia, adopted in 1884. ... Motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (Gift of God shall make prosper) Area: 547. ...

In 1825 Brouage was joined to the village of Hiers, 2.5 km away, forming the commune of Hiers-Brouage.

Sites

• The village church dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul built in 1608. Since 1982, several stained glass windows have been installed by Quebec and New Brunswick to commemorate historical figures of New France.
• The walls of the remparts of the citadel of Brouage.
• The Porte royale or King's gate which gave access to the quais.
• The Saint-Luc powderhouse (poudrière) with four flying-buttresses.
• The Halle aux vivres or Warehouse built to store goods and supplies for the citadel.

According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... Saint Paul, or Paul of Tarsus, is a Christian saint, who has lent his name to a number of places and things: Buildings and institutions Churches St Pauls Cathedral in London, England, designed by Christopher Wren St Pauls Cathedral (Macau) in Macau St Pauls Cathedral, Melbourne in... This article describes the Canadian province. ... This article is about the Canadian province; for the city in New Jersey, see New Brunswick, New Jersey. ... New France (French: la Nouvelle-France) describes the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 to the cession of New France to the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763. ... This article is about a type of fortification. ...

External links

• Office de tourisme (http://www.officedetourismebrouage.com)
• Hiers-Brouage  (http://www.bassin-de-marennes.com/textes/communes/brouage.html)