Prahecq
About
Prahecq is typical of the transitional areas between the grouped settlements of the Charentes and the scattered settlements of the hedged farmlands of the west. Its name derives either from Pratius, a wealthy Picton nobleman, or from pratium, meaning floodable wet meadow. The castle, built in the 11th century, belonged to Hugues de Lusignan. It was taken in 1242 by Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of St Louis, and then partly razed to the ground to subdue its owner, who was then leading the Poitevin barons in revolt against the king. All that remains today are the buildings, which were converted between 1843 and 1954. The commune is the birthplace of Vanda Houmeau, wife of Ernest Pérochon, the first Prix Goncourt winner from the Deux-Sèvres. The town has seen strong economic development thanks to the establishment of businesses in the artisanal zone.
Worth seeing: St-Maixent church, château de la Voûte, butte du Peu, cemetery cross and Fosse de Paix (artesian well).