Cause-de-Clérans


Cause-de-Clérans is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.

Geography

General

Located in the south of the Dordogne department, within the Bergeracois, the commune forms part of the Bergerac functional area. It is crossed by the Clérans, a small tributary of the Dordogne. The village is bordered by departmental road D36, which runs northeast to southwest. It lies about 6 km west-northwest of Lalinde and 15 km east of Bergerac in a straight line.

Neighboring communes

Cause-de-Clérans borders six other communes: Saint-Marcel-du-Périgord, Pressignac-Vicq, Baneuil, Saint-Capraise-de-Lalinde, Mouleydier, and Liorac-sur-Louyre.

Geology and relief

Cause-de-Clérans lies on the northern edge of the Aquitaine Basin, with strata reflecting marine sedimentation. It occupies a plateau of sandstone and lacustrine limestone from the Tertiary period. Outcropping layers include superficial Quaternary formations and sedimentary rocks from the Cenozoic and Mesozoic. Elevation ranges from 47 m in the southwest to 156 m in the northeast.

Landscapes

Cause-de-Clérans is part of the Central Périgord landscape unit, with a mosaic of forest, meadows, and mixed agriculture.

Hydrography

The commune lies in the Dordogne basin of the Adour–Garonne hydrographic area. It is drained by the Clérans stream, which crosses east to southwest, and by the Sérouze, which borders the territory to the north for about 3 km.

Climate

Cause-de-Clérans has an altered oceanic climate. At the nearby Bergerac station, the average annual temperature was 13.2 °C and mean annual precipitation 793 mm.

Urbanism

Typology

As of 1 January 2024, the commune is classified by INSEE as rural with very dispersed housing and forms part of the Bergerac functional area.

Land use

In 2018, CORINE Land Cover reported land use as 56.1% forest, 25.5% meadows, 15.7% heterogeneous agriculture, and 2.8% arable land.

Sights

  • The Église Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, a Romanesque church dating from the 12th century, listed as a monument historique.
  • The ruins of the Château de Clérans, also listed as a monument historique.
  • The Château de Cause, a manor house recognized as a monument historique.