Cirey

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Cirey
Cirey (France)
Cirey
region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Department Haute-Saône
Arrondissement Vesoul
Canton Rioz
Community association Pays Riolais
Coordinates 47 ° 24 '  N , 6 ° 8'  E Coordinates: 47 ° 24 '  N , 6 ° 8'  E
height 222–329 m
surface 13.09 km 2
Residents 368 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 28 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 70190
INSEE code 70154
Website http://www.cirey.fr/

Cirey even Cirey-lès-Bellevaux called, is a municipality in the French department of Haute-Saône in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .

geography

Cirey is located at an altitude of 228 m above sea level, six kilometers southeast of Rioz and about 20 kilometers northeast of the city of Besançon (as the crow flies). The village extends in the south of the department in the wide valley of the Ognon south of the forest heights of the Bois de Bellevaux .

The area of ​​the 13.09 km² large municipal area includes a section of the middle Ognon Valley. From east to west, the area is crossed by the Ognon, which flows with large meanders in an alluvial plain about two kilometers wide . The valley level lies at an average of 225 m and is used for agriculture. Along the river there are various ponds that were created in former sand pits because of the high groundwater level. To the south of the valley floor, the communal soil extends to the edge of the Bois de la Chaille forest .

In the north, the Ognon valley is flanked by wooded hills, which consist of an alternation of chalky and sandy-marly layers from the upper Jurassic period . The main part of the area is taken by the Bois de Bellevaux , on which the highest point of Cirey is reached at 329 m. It is separated from the Châtelard (290 m) to the west by the Bellevaux valley . The municipal area extends further north to the Marloz plateau and into the forests of the Grands Bois (up to 325 m).

In addition to the actual town, the following hamlet settlements belong to Cirey:

  • Bellevaux (235 m) in the narrow valley between the Châtelard and the Bois de Bellevaux
  • Les Neuves-Granges (280 m) in the upper part of the Bellevaux valley
  • Marloz (275 m) in a cleared island between the Bois de Bellevaux and the Grands Bois

Neighboring municipalities of Cirey are Ruhans in the north, Beaumotte-Aubertans and Vandelans in the east, Rigney and Valleroy in the south and Chambornay-lès-Bellevaux and Rioz in the west.

history

Archaeological prospecting suggested a large Roman villa complex on the north-western outskirts from which the village could have emerged. The discovery of a burial ground from the Merovingian period near Marloz indicates a continuity of settlement in the area. The local history of Cirey has been closely linked to that of the nearby Bellevaux Abbey since the High Middle Ages . This monastery was founded in 1119 as the first Cistercian monastery in the Free County of Burgundy and played an important role in the expansion of the order to the east. Unlike other Cistercian monasteries, it was not installed on wasteland, but on land that had long been cultivated in the catchment area of ​​old settlements. From then on, the Cistercian economy shaped the area; Place names such as Neuves Granges and Vieilles Granges as well as the nickname "lès Bellevaux" from Cirey and Chambornay are evidence of this to this day. The area has been called Bella Vallis (beautiful valley) since 1135 . The land on which the monastery was founded was founded by the Lords of La Roche in nearby Rigney.

In the Middle Ages, Cirey belonged to the Free County of Burgundy and in it to the area of ​​the Bailliage d'Amont . Local rule was incumbent on the Lords of Cromary. A noble family that bore the village name is mentioned in the 12th century. She too belonged to the group of early founders of the monastery, which soon after its foundation was master of the place and also had the church under itself. Until the French Revolution , the fate of the community remained inextricably linked with that of the monastery. Both suffered from armed conflict over the free county from the late 13th century. During a long period of peace under Spanish-Habsburg rule in the 16th century, the monastery in Cirey set up a forge and later a mill. The Thirty Years' War brought this prosperity to an end: Cirey was practically depopulated, in 1650 the prior alone held out in the monastery. Together with Franche-Comté , Cirey finally came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. This was followed by a long period of peacetime and gradual economic recovery. The building activity under the last abbot of Bellevaux in the 18th century was characteristic of the townscape. The French Revolution brought with it the dissolution of the monastery and with it the independence of the municipality of Cirey, whose territory now also included Bellevaux (as the hamlet of lieu-dit-Bellevaux ). There were further changes in the area in 1807 with the incorporation of Les Neuves-Granges (1806: 198 inhabitants) and in 1808 with the incorporation of Marloz (1806: 221 inhabitants). Today Cirey is a member of the community association Communauté de communes du Pays Riolais, which comprises 33 villages .

Attractions

Saint-Maurice Church

The architecturally remarkable church of Cirey was built in the late 18th century in the classical style with the plan of a Greek cross. Its architectural opulence surpasses the rank of an ordinary village church, which was not even a parish of its own, and is related to the extensive construction work at the Bellevaux monastery at the same time . After its abolition, the community secured a number of pieces of equipment from the abbey church, which was later demolished, for their church, which became an independent parish in 1803. The rich church furnishings include a sarcophagus made of pink granite from the 12th century with some relics of St. Peter II Archbishop of Tarentaise, who died in 1174 in Bellevaux Monastery, the 17th century choir stalls (also from the Bellevaux monastery church) and furniture from the 18th century (accessible by appointment; contact details on the church portal).

The preserved historical secular buildings include the former mill (mill building dated 1784, the same doors in the residential building as in the convent building of Bellevaux Monastery, which was built in 1786–1788 and owned the mill) and the former faience factory. From the street between Cirey and Neuves-Granges on the left are the main building (built 1786–1788), the entrance gate (dated 1764, with mostly newly planted linden avenue in front of it, and huge plane trees from the 18th century behind) and the farm building (dated 1762, with a later head building and conversions from the 1970s) of the former Bellevaux monastery (called "Château de Bellevaux" since the 19th century), all buildings that were built under the last abbot Louis Albert de Lezay-Marnésia (today private property, not publicly accessible). To the right of the street you can see two buildings from the 18th century, a homestead that used to belong to the monastery.

population

Population development
year Residents
1790 269
1962 192
1968 189
1975 185
1982 200
1990 225
1999 232
2007 319

With 368 inhabitants (January 1, 2017), Cirey 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 (388 people were still counted in 1886), a slight population growth has been recorded again since the mid-1970s.

Economy and Infrastructure

Until well into the 20th century, Cirey was mainly a village characterized by agriculture (arable farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding) and forestry. At the time of the monastery there were forges and mills in Cirey, and in the 18th century there was even a faience factory (1763–1780). One of the monastery's brickworks came into private ownership in 1792 and was active until the beginning of the 20th century. Today there are various local small businesses. Many workers are also commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.

The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a department road that leads from Voray-sur-l'Ognon to Loulans-Verchamp . Other road connections exist with Rioz, Rigney and Moncey .

Personalities

literature

Web links

Commons : Cirey  - collection of images, videos and audio files