Astaillac is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France.

Toponymy

There are two possibilities for the origin of the commune's name and both originate as a person's name who owned the area. As a Gallo-Roman domain of Astilus a Latin name and -iacum, the possession of Astilusiacum. Another theory is that it originates as Stalliacus, the domain of Stallius in the vicaria of Ascanensi (Puy-d'Arnac). The village name changed over the centuries, Astaliaco (860), Staliacus (882), Astilico (917), Astiliaco (10th), Astalhac (1315), and Estailhat (1687).

History

In 860, Rodolphe of Turenne, Archbishop of Bourges, donated Astaillac, its church and lands to the monastery he founded at Beaulieu sur Dordogne. Initially the domain of the Benedictine order, in 1072 Pope Urban II donated it to the Abbey of Cluny when the Abbey Of Beaulieu was brought under the latters control. An old chateau used to stand where the old school was situated. It was attacked several times in the past, first in 1250 by the people of Beaulieu, by the Baron of Castelnau in the 1300s with eighty people killed, and by Protestants in 1575. After the French Revolution, the lands of the Duchamp de la Geneste were sold off to the communes' people.

Geography

Astaillac is located some 45 km south-east of Brive-la-Gaillarde and 15 km north by north-west of Saint-Céré. The eastern border of the commune is also the border between the departments of Corrèze and Lot. Access to the commune is by the D41 road from Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne in the north passing through the east of the commune and continuing south-west to Liourdres. The D41E1 comes from the D153E south-west of Sioniac through the commune to the village and continues to the hamlet of La Plaine. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Conques, Le Soulie, La Plaine, and Cassagne. The commune is mixed forest and farmland. The Dordogne river forms the eastern border of the commune except for a small area on the left bank which forms part of the commune. The Dordogne flows south and eventually joins the Garonne at Saint-Seurin-de-Bourg. Several streams rise in the commune and flow south-east to join the Dordogne: the Ruisseau de Ganissal, the Ruisseau de Fontanille, the Ruisseau de Laborie, and the Ruisseau de Coucoulogne which forms the western border of the commune.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Astaillacois or Astaillacoises in French.

Sites and monuments