Ars-sur-Formans

Ars-sur-Formans
region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ain
Arrondissement	Bourg-en-Bresse
Canton	Villars-les-Dombes
Community association	Dombes Saône Vallée
Coordinates	46 ° 0 ′ N , 4 ° 49 ′ E Coordinates: 46 ° 0 ′ N , 4 ° 49 ′ E
height	226-281 m
surface	5.50 km 2
Residents	1,408 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	256 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	01480
INSEE code	01021
Website	www.ars-village.fr
	; View of Ars with the basilica

Ars-sur-Formans is a French commune with 1408 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region . It belongs to the canton of Villars-les-Dombes in the arrondissement of Bourg-en-Bresse and is a member of the Dombes Saône Vallée municipal association .

geography

The place is located 35 kilometers north of Lyon in the Dombes landscape , between 226 m and 281 m altitude. It lies on the right bank of the Formans River , a tributary of the Saône .

history

The village of Ars was first mentioned in a document from 969. The Saint-Sixte church was appointed parish church of Ars in 984 by the cathedral chapter of Lyon. In 1106, Hugues d'Ars, Bishop of Lyon, promised that this parish would join the Abbey of Cluny. In the 11th century, the fiefdom of Ars was owned by the noble family of the same name, but had to submit to the rule of Villars. In 1225, however, Jean d'Ars gave his lands to the Île Barbe monastery near Lyon, and the de Villars dynasty retained the feudal lordship. Around 1409 the place was burned down by troops and also suffered from the wars of religion. In 1424 the Principality of Dombes took over the feudal rights of Ars. In 1592 the lands of Ars passed into the possession of the noble Garniers des Garets family. The family is still the owner of the castle today. The arrival of these lords was followed by a long period of peace for the Principality of Dombes, which fell to the Kingdom of France in 1772. In 1806 the community had 230 inhabitants, mainly farmers.

Jean-Marie Vianney was a pastor here from 1818 until his death in 1859 . Because of him, Ars became a place of pilgrimage from 1826 onwards, to which around 100,000 people came annually to hear his sermons and to go to confession with him. He was beatified in 1905 and canonized in 1925. In 1929 Jean-Marie Vianney became the “ patron saint of pastors ” all over the world.

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2011
Residents	460	496	480	719	851	1.102	1,244	1,374

With 1408 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), Ars-sur-Formans is one of the smaller communities in the Ain department. After the population fluctuated only slightly around the 500 mark in the second half of the 19th and 20th centuries (495 inhabitants were counted in 1901), it rose sharply in 1982. This population increase continues into the 21st century. The local residents of Ars-sur-Formans are called Arsois (es) in French .

Attractions

Rectory of Jean-Marie Vianney, which was left in the state in 1859.
Parish church with pulpit and confessional of the parish priest of Ars .
Saint-Sixte d'Ars basilica , annexed to the parish church, with the indestructible body of Jean-Marie Vianney.