The name
‘Thénac’ is originally Gallo-Roman. Thénac Château was built
on the ruins of a priory which was first mentioned as early as
1109 and, despite undergoing many alterations, vestiges of the
original church can still clearly be seen.
The commune is proud of its attractive vineyard views and is
the starting point of several hiking trails.
Thénac falls in the canton of Sigoulès and borders on the Lot
et Garonne département, half-way between St Foy la Grande and
Eymet.
It can be reached by the D17 and D18 departmental roads.
In 2001 Thénac joined the neighbouring communes of Puyguilhem
and Monbos.
The surrounding countryside is predominantly covered with
vineyards although dotted with woods and fields.
It has a surface area of 2025 hectares and a population of
386
(official population on January 1, 2012).
Description of the Coat
of Arms :
The commune of Thénac is today associated with the communes of
Monbos and Puyguilhem. In the commune is the Château de
Panisseau which belonged to the Alba family, owners - among
other places - of the Château de Monbazillac.
The Caumont de Lauzun family lived in the parish of Puyguilhem.
The patron saint of Monbos is St Pierre.
These are the elements we retained in the creation of the coat
of arms for this association of communes :
The shield is quartered :
1 and 4 : gules with three argent hounds’ heads, an argent stag
cousu charged with three mullets of or spurs which represents
Alba for Thénac.
2 : Tierced or bands, gules and azure which represents Caumont
de Lauzun for Puyguilhem.
3 : Azure with two or keys which represent St Peter for Monbos.
Quarters 1 and 4 represent Thénac indicating that the main town
hall is there.
Motto : 1109 - Atenac - 1996
1109 : the date when the parish of Thénac first appeared in a
written text.
Atenac : the form in which the parish’s name appeared.
1996 : The year when the coat of arms was created. (The names of
the other two communes first appeared later than Thénac.)
Text translated by Pays du Grand Bergeracois (professional translator).
