Historical and heraldic origins of GINESTET’s coat of arms
The name of this parish first appears in a 13th century polyptych, in a Latin text, as Sanctus Jacobus de Genestet.
In 1491 we find Genestetum, and in 1555, in the bishop’s notice: Sanctus Paulus de Genestet.
Parish patron and titular saint: Saint Jacques le Majeur.
The church at Sainte Foy des Vignes was a parish. In 1793, the commune was named Ginestet and Sainte Foy des Vignes.
 

Near Ginestet is the highest point of the road between Bergerac et Mussidan (145 m). The Eyraud brook crosses the commune.
The commune’s name comes from “genêt” (“broom”), which grew in abundance in this region.
In former times, brooms were made with broom, in Perigord patois “lous ginestes”. These brooms were called “lous ginets”, and when brooms made of genêt were abandoned in favour of brooms made of broomcorn, the name “lou ginet” was kept.


The etymology of the name of the commune and the parish’s patron saint were kept for the composition of the coat of arms: a stalk of broom for the commune and a scallop shell for the parish, from which:
From silver of a stalk of a golden-flowered broom sinpole, to the azure-laden head of a silver shell
A motto: 1491 – Sanctus Jacobus de Genestet – 2005

A Brief History of the Commune
The commune is situated near the Landais forest and the River Eyraud runs through the village. The name ‘Ginestet’ appears in a 13th-century church terrier and the church, which no longer exists, is mentioned in Sanctus Jacobus de Genestet. Ginestet reappears in the church document in the 16th century (1555) and a little earlier, in 1491, in its Latin form of GENESTETUM.

The village’s name comes from the Occitan ‘genèsta’; the suffix ‘et’ indicates that broom (le gênet) grew abundantly here. Like the old French, ‘geneste’, the name comes from the Latin ‘genesta’, a variant of ‘genista’.

Ginestet, whose patron saint is Jacques (July 25), is located on one of the numerous pilgrimage paths that lead to Saint Jacques de Compostelle. The annual and patronal celebration traditionally takes place the last weekend in July.

The town of Ginestet is located 7.7 km northwest of BERGERAC.
The commune is part of the canton of LA FORCE, and it is integrated into the Purple Bergerac Community of Communes (Communauté de Communes de Bergerac Pourpre). It has the distinctive characteristic of having two churches and two cemeteries, after its attachment to that of the hamlet on the north side of the territory of Ste Foy des Vignes, which overlooks Bergerac and the Dordogne Valley.

Its area is 1306 hectares. The departmental roads 4 and 709 run across its territory . It is at the crossing of the main roads Villamblard - La Force and Bergerac – Mussidan, at less than 15 minutes from autoroute A89.
Freshly undulating, Ginestet’s hillsides present their rich, varied landscapes, which alternate wooded areas and vineyards of the “Rosette” and “Bergerac” appelations, and magnificent panoramas, for those who know how to appreciate nature.
If settlements are relatively scattered along the communal roads, the 830 citizens of Ginestet occupy a land where it is good to live, in rural surroundings and protected peacefulness.

The commune of Ginestet is in the canton of La Force. The RD (departmental road) 709 and the RD4 run through the commune which is situated at the crossing of the Bergerac/Mussidan and Villamblard/La Force roads.

It has a population of 766 and a surface area of 1306 ha.