Grignan
| Grignan | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Drôme | |
| Arrondissement | Nyons | |
| Canton | Grignan (main town) | |
| Community association | Enclave des Papes-Pays de Grignan | |
| Coordinates | 44 ° 25 ' N , 4 ° 54' E | |
| height | 130-471 m | |
| surface | 43.43 km 2 | |
| Residents | 1,551 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 36 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 26230 | |
| INSEE code | 26146 | |
 Town Hall ( Hôtel de ville ) |
||
Grignan is a French commune with 1,551 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in southern France in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region . The city owes its fame to its magnificent Renaissance castle and the famous letters that Madame de Sévigné wrote to her daughter, Madame de Grignan , in the 17th century.
geography
Geographical location
Grignan is located in the south of the Drôme department, not far from the Vaucluse department, near Mount Ventoux in Tricastin , which is the highest mountain in Provence.
Grignan can be reached via the A7 motorway at the Montélimar Süd or Bollène junctions.
Agriculture
The main crops in this area are lavender , truffle , wheat and sunflower . The nearby town of Nyons is famous for its olives and olive oil with appélation controlée.
history
Various archaeological studies have shown that the rocky promontory of Grignan has been inhabited since the Iron Age. There is evidence of both a former Bronze Age society and a Roman occupation in the fifth and sixth centuries. Historians have noted that in 1035 a chartular of the Abbey of Saint-Caffre in the Haute-Loire department mentioned an insignificant castellum Gradignanum ( castellum : Latin for "fortified camp"). In the course of the following century the name developed via castrum Grainan (1105) to Graigna , Grazinam ...
Little is known about the origins of the castle or about those who built it. A certain Christoph de Grignan lived around 1030, and in 1035 the Chartular of Saint-Chaffre mentions a Rostagnus de castello Gradignano . Based on certain documents, it appears that the Grignan family has become well established a century later. But the Grignans lose ownership of the castle that bears their name. Starting in 1239, records show that Grignan no longer belongs to the Grignans. The new owner was rather the Adhémar de Monteil family .
The expansion of the castle went hand in hand with the rise of power of the Adhémar von Grignan family. The Adhémars became more powerful and so the castle necessarily had to grow. Beginning in the 13th century, the Adhémars rose from baron to duke and were finally raised to the rank of count by Henry II, King of France. The castle of Grignan was gradually developed into an imposing bulwark. The line of Adhémar ended when Louis Adhémar died without a direct descendant in 1559. The title and property of Louis Adhémar, Count of Grignan, fell to his nephew Gaspard de Castellane, son of Louis' sister Blanche Adhémar. Although the Adhémars were a noble family, the Castellane clan rivaled them for fame.
The castle was ultimately owned by François von Castellano-Ornano-Adhémar von Monteil de Grignan, who, in addition to his titles as Duke of Termoli, Count of Grignan, Count of Campobasso and Baron of Entrecasteaux, also carried the titles of knight in the service of the king.
François, the last Count of Grignan, was a widower twice (his wives Angéliques-Glarisse d'Angiennes, daughter of the Marquis de Rambouillet, and Marie-Angélique of Puy-du-Rou died in quick succession). For his third marriage, he chose a certain Françoise-Marguerite de Sévigné, daughter of the marquise of the same name, whose famous letters have immortalized the memory of her son-in-law and his castle to this day.
From 1906 to 1928 Grignan had a station on the Taulignan – Chamaret line .
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2005 | 2016 |
| Residents | 1072 | 1113 | 1099 | 1147 | 1300 | 1353 | 1452 | 1545 |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | ||||||||
Culture and sights
Castle of Grignan
.JPG)
Not much has survived from the medieval castle, originally built in the eleventh century. It was not until the 13th century that it was expanded into a fortress by the Adhémar family and renovated by Louis Adhémar from 1545 to 1558 . From 1668 to 1690, François de Castellane-Adhémar had the castle converted into a Renaissance chateau. Destroyed to ruins during the French Revolution , it was partially reconstructed in the 19th century and received nostalgic additions such as the medieval pair of towers Poivrières (“pepper boxes”). The castle was completely rebuilt in the early 20th century at the request of the wealthy banker's widow Madame Fontaine. She invested her entire fortune to restore it to its former glory. Now owned by the Drôme department , it is a major tourist attraction. In addition to the opportunity to visit the premises, cultural events such as concerts and exhibitions take place there on a regular basis.
Saint-Sauveur Collegiate Church
Located under the palace terrace, the collegiate church was built between 1535 and 1539 at the request of Louis Adhémar . The Renaissance facade is framed by two square towers and has a rose window in the Gothic style. Inside there is an organ stage and an impressive altar from the 17th century. On the floor in front of the altar is a marble burial stone, which marks the sealed entrance to the tomb of Madame de Sévigné .
Rochecourbière cave
This natural grotto, which is not very deep in the rock, is about half a kilometer from Grignan and was a preferred place for Madame de Sévigné to write.
Book Printing Museum
The book printing museum is in a building from the 15th century in the middle of the small, typical Provencal village at the foot of the castle of Grignan. It used to be the home of the castle bailiff and the highest court in the area. Today the lavishly restored building houses an active book printing workshop and a museum for book printing machines from the century before last.
Le Village Provençal Miniature
Provencal village life at the beginning of the 20th century is depicted using nativity figurines ( Santons ). Typical scenes such as life in the market, on the farm and playing pétanque on the village square can be seen on an area of around 400 m² . The miniature village has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the "largest nativity scene in the world" since 1996 .
Culinary specialties
- Grignan is the capital of the black truffle (tuber melanosporum).
Personalities
- Morton Beiser (* 1936), Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto
- Roger Duchêne (1930–2006), biographer specialized in the letters of Madame de Sévigné
- Sérgio Ferro (* 1938), Brazilian painter, architect and professor
- J. Timothy Hunt (* 1959), American-Canadian author and journalist
- Philippe Jaccottet (* 1925), Swiss poet and translator, published in French
- Madame de Sévigné (1626–1696), French nobleman, known for the letters she wrote to her daughter
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Cony Ziegler: Provence with Camargue. Travel book publisher Iwanowski. 2nd updated edition. Dormagen 2009, ISBN 978-3-933041-54-8 , pp. 264-265.
- ↑ Le village miniature à Grignan en Drôme Provençale. Retrieved February 9, 2013 (French).