Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur
| Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Haute-Saône | |
| Arrondissement | Vesoul | |
| Canton | Scey-sur-Saône-et-Saint-Albin | |
| Community association | Quatre Rivières | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 30 ' N , 5 ° 41' E | |
| height | 189-252 m | |
| surface | 35.12 km 2 | |
| Residents | 934 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 27 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 70100 | |
| INSEE code | 70058 | |
 Parish hall (Marie) and Lavoir |
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Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur is a municipality in the French department of Haute-Saône in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur is located at an altitude of 201 m above sea level, ten kilometers northeast of Gray and about 40 kilometers northwest of the city of Besançon (as the crow flies). The village extends to the west of the department, on the Gray plain on the eastern edge of the Saône valley .
The area of the municipal area of 35.12 km² covers a section of the central Saône valley. The western and northern borders always run along the Saône, which flows here with large loops through a wide alluvial valley. The flood plain averages 195 m and is approximately two kilometers wide. The river is canalised and developed into a waterway. In the partly swampy valley lowlands, agricultural use predominates.
From the course of the river, the community area extends eastward over the valley and a gently rising slope to the adjacent plateau. It is subdivided by various short side streams of the Saône, including the Pothelet and the Raye. The plateau consists of an alternating layer of calcareous and sandy-marl sediments from the Upper Jurassic and, especially in the southeast, also of tertiary deposits. It is at 230 m. While arable and meadow land predominates in the northern part, the entire eastern part (40% of the municipal area) is forest-covered (Forêt Domaniale de Belle Vaivre). On a knoll in this forest area, the highest point of Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur is reached at 252 m.
The municipality consists of four districts, all of which are on the eastern edge of the Saône valley:
- Beaujeu (201 m)
- Saint-Vallier (202 m), adjoining Beaujeu to the south
- Pierrejux (205 m), across from Vereux
- Quitteur (198 m)
Neighboring municipalities of Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur are Autet and Mercey-sur-Saône in the north, Seveux and Igny in the east, Sauvigney-lès-Gray and Saint-Broing in the south as well as Rigny , Montureux-et-Prantigny and Vereux in the west.
history
The municipality of Beaujeau-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur was settled in prehistoric times. Numerous finds, tumuli and graves date from the late Bronze Age. In the corridor of Le Châtelard there was a fortified storage area from the Gallo-Roman period.
The toponym of Beaujeu developed over the course of time from Bellus Jocus to Bellijocum , Biajuel , Beaulgehu and Beljeu to Beaugeu . In the Middle Ages, Beaujeu belonged to the Free County of Burgundy and in it to the area of the Bailliage d'Amont . The rule of Beaujeu has been documented since the 11th century and belonged to the noble family of the same name, which was divided into two branches. The first church was built in Beaujeu around 1100. Since the 13th century, the lordship, which encompassed the entire current municipal area, has been known as Clos de Beaujeu. There was a priory in Saint-Vallier, mentioned in a bull of Pope Alexander IV in 1262 . This was destroyed during the Thirty Years War in 1637. Together with Franche-Comté, the towns of Clos de Beaujeu finally came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678.
On the Saône across from Vereux, a blast furnace and forge had been in operation since the 17th century . The plant ceased operations in 1879. Since the beginning of the 19th century, today's large community developed in several steps. Beaujeux and Pierrejux (1806: 126 inhabitants) merged in 1807 to form the municipality of Beaujeux-et-Pierrejux. As early as 1808, the village of Saint-Vallier (1806: 373 inhabitants) was added; from then on the community was called Beaujeux-Saint-Vallier-et-Pierrejux. In 1972 Quitteur (1968: 70 inhabitants) also joined this community, which led to another name change to Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur. Today the municipality is a member of the community association Communauté de communes des Quatre Rivières, comprising 42 localities .
Attractions
The Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church in Beaujeu originally dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, as evidenced by the Gothic choir. The ship was rebuilt in the 19th century. A richly painted medieval glass window (1481) is of national importance. The Sainte-Anne chapel stands above the village. One of the other attractions of Beaujeu is the so-called Mairie-Lavoir, which is classified as a Monument historique . The parish hall ( Mairie ) was built in 1830 according to plans by the architect Louis Moreau over the water basin, which previously served as a washbasin ( Lavoir ) and cattle trough. The Romanesque keep belonged to the castle of the Lords of Beaujeu. The square building is 25 m high and has a side length of 10 meters. At the beginning of the 19th century the manor of the Duke of Bassano was built, which also includes an orangery.
There are other church buildings in Saint-Vallier (18th century) and in Pierrejux (with a bell from the 16th century).
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 583 |
| 1968 | 545 |
| 1975 | 576 |
| 1982 | 688 |
| 1990 | 732 |
| 1999 | 739 |
With 934 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur is one of the smaller communities in the Haute-Saône department. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1065 people were still counted in 1881), the population has continued to grow steadily since the beginning of the 1970s.
Economy and Infrastructure
For a long time, Beaujeu-Saint-Vallier-Pierrejux-et-Quitteur was primarily a village characterized by agriculture (arable farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding). In addition, the blacksmiths were important. Today there are various local small businesses, mainly in the areas of precision engineering, construction and wood processing. In the last few decades the village has transformed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.
The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a departmental road that leads from Gray to Ray-sur-Saône . There are other road connections with Dampierre-sur-Salon and Montureux-et-Prantigny.
