Bressuire

Bressuire has two buildings of interest: the church of Notre-Dame, which, dating chiefly from the 12th and 15th centuries, has an imposing tower of the Renaissance period; and the castle, built by the lords of Beaumont, vassals of the viscount of Thouars. The latter is now in ruins, and a portion of the site is occupied by a modern château, but an inner and outer line of fortifications are still to be seen. The whole forms the finest assemblage of feudal ruins in Poitou.{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Bressuire|volume=4|pages=499-500}}

The name "Bressuire" comes from two elements, being Berg (hill) and Durum (fortress). These two are linked in the name "Berzoriacum" recorded in 1029, and "Bercorium" from the start of the crusading era in 1095. The name Bressuire thereby defines a fortress on a hill.Bélisaire Ledain, "Histoire de la ville et baronnie de Bressuire", Bressuire, Baudry, 1866; p. 32 & Bélisaire Ledain, "Dictionnaire topographique du département des Deux-Sèvres…" Poitiers, Société française d'imprimerie et de librairie, 1902

Bressuire dates back to Celtic times, and was at the meeting point of roads during the Gallo-Roman period. The earliest surviving evidence of the town's existence, around the chapel of Saint Cyprien, dates back to the eleventh century.

Medieval Bressuire ("Castrum Berzoriacum") belonged to the viscounts of Thouars and comprised, in the tenth century, the three parishes of Notre Dame (Our Lady), St John and St Nicholas. The parish of St Nicholas, which has since disappeared, was located within the walls of the castle and belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes.

Among the disasters suffered at various times by the town, its capture from the English and subsequent pillage by French troops under du Guesclin in 1370 is the most memorable. Bressuire was part of the Ancien Régime Province of Poitou.

In January 1973 Bressuire absorbed the former communes Beaulieu-sous-Bressuire, Boismé, Breuil-Chaussée, Chambroutet, Clazay, Noirlieu, Noirterre, Saint-Sauveur-de-Givre-en-Mai and Terves.[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/jo/id/JORFCONT000000021015 Modifications aux circonscriptions administratives territoriales (fusion de communes)], Journal officiel de la République française n° 0009, 11 January 1973, p. 502.

{{Historical populations

|source = INSEE[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-79049#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE

|percentages = pagr

|align = none

|graph-pos = right

|1968 |13814

|1975 |16101

|1982 |17366

|1990 |17827

|1999 |17799

|2007 |18436

|2012 |18966

|2017 |19519

}}

• Guillaume Rouger (born 1975), retired professional footballer

Bressuire is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Les villes jumelées|url=https://www.ville-bressuire.fr/index.php/loisirs-et-animations/jumelages/les-villes-jumelees|website=ville-bressuire.fr|publisher=Bressuire|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-21}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|UK}} Fraserburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
• {{flagicon|GER}} Friedberg, Germany
• {{flagicon|ROU}} Hodac, Romania
• {{flagicon|TOG}} Kpalimé, Togo
• {{flagicon|IRL}} Leixlip, Ireland
• {{flagicon|ESP}} Mequinenza, Spain
• {{flagicon|POL}} Parczew, Poland
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Ryazan, Russia
• {{flagicon|CHI}} Arica, Chile

{{div col end}}

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Bressuire (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1990–present)

|Jan record high C = 16.5

|Feb record high C = 22.1

|Mar record high C = 23.9

|Apr record high C = 27.8

|May record high C = 32.1

|Jun record high C = 38.9

|Jul record high C = 40.4

|Aug record high C = 39.9

|Sep record high C = 34.2

|Oct record high C = 30.4

|Nov record high C = 22.1

|Dec record high C = 17.7

|Jan record low C = -12.1

|Feb record low C = -11.2

|Mar record low C = -11.7

|Apr record low C = -4.3

|May record low C = -0.7

|Jun record low C = 3.2

|Jul record low C = 5.9

|Aug record low C = 5.4

|Sep record low C = 2.5

|Oct record low C = -3.1

|Nov record low C = -7.4

|Dec record low C = -10.6

|Jan high C = 7.9

|Feb high C = 9.0

|Mar high C = 12.6

|Apr high C = 15.6

|May high C = 19.6

|Jun high C = 23.4

|Jul high C = 25.9

|Aug high C = 26.0

|Sep high C = 22.1

|Oct high C = 16.9

|Nov high C = 11.6

|Dec high C = 8.5

| year high C = 16.6

|Jan mean C = 5.2

|Feb mean C = 5.5

|Mar mean C = 8.2

|Apr mean C = 10.5

|May mean C = 14.2

|Jun mean C = 17.7

|Jul mean C = 19.7

|Aug mean C = 19.8

|Sep mean C = 16.4

|Oct mean C = 12.9

|Nov mean C = 8.4

|Dec mean C = 5.7

| year mean C = 12.0

|Jan low C = 2.4

|Feb low C = 2.0

|Mar low C = 3.8

|Apr low C = 5.4

|May low C = 8.8

|Jun low C = 11.9

|Jul low C = 13.6

|Aug low C = 13.5

|Sep low C = 10.8

|Oct low C = 8.9

|Nov low C = 5.2

|Dec low C = 2.8

| year low C = 7.4

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 92.1

|Feb precipitation mm = 67.6

|Mar precipitation mm = 64.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 63.5

|May precipitation mm = 67.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 52.3

|Jul precipitation mm = 51.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 51.1

|Sep precipitation mm = 58.5

|Oct precipitation mm = 97.1

|Nov precipitation mm = 89.1

|Dec precipitation mm = 97.9

|year precipitation mm = 852.2

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 13.0

| Feb precipitation days = 10.9

| Mar precipitation days = 10.3

| Apr precipitation days = 10.2

| May precipitation days = 10.3

| Jun precipitation days = 7.8

| Jul precipitation days = 7.4

| Aug precipitation days = 7.1

| Sep precipitation days = 7.8

| Oct precipitation days = 11.7

| Nov precipitation days = 13.1

| Dec precipitation days = 13.2

| year precipitation days =122.8

|source 1 = Meteociel{{cite web

|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=79049004

|title=Normales et records pour Bressuire (79)

|publisher=Meteociel

|access-date=21 November 2024}}}}

• Communes of the Deux-Sèvres department

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Bressuire}}

• [http://www.ville-bressuire.fr/ Official website] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Deux-Sèvres communes}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Communes of Deux-Sèvres

Category:Subprefectures in France

Category:Poitou

{{DeuxSèvres-geo-stub}}