Les Epesses

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Les Epesses
Coat of arms of Les Epesses
Les Epesses (France)
Les Epesses
region Pays de la Loire
Department Vendée
Arrondissement La Roche-sur-Yon
Canton Les Herbiers
Community association Pays des Herbiers
Coordinates 46 ° 53 ′  N , 0 ° 54 ′  W Coordinates: 46 ° 53 ′  N , 0 ° 54 ′  W
height 118-254 m
surface 31.29 km 2
Residents 2,853 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 91 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 85590
INSEE code
Website http://www.les-epesses.com/fr/

Les Epesses is a French town in the Pays de la Loire region in the French department of Vendée .

geography

With an area of ​​3129 hectares and 2853 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), Les Epesses is one of the smaller municipalities in France.

history

Written documents from the high Middle Ages document the construction of a church by monks from Vézelay in Burgundy , the most important religious center in France at the time.

This Notre Dame de Spisses church was probably located on the site of the current church, where part of the building that clearly dates back to the Middle Ages was reused.

The Puy du Fou family gradually expanded the church and left their coat of arms in the keystone of the vault. The history of the noble Puy du Fou family has been closely linked to the lives of the inhabitants of Les Epesses since the 12th century.

Puy du Fou

One of the most important historical buildings in Les Epesses is the renaissance castle of Puy du Fou made of granite and brick, which was partially destroyed during the French Revolution. Nowadays, the castle houses the Ecomusée (local history museum) and serves as the backdrop for the open-air play Puy du Fou, founded more than 20 years ago.

650 actors behind and in front of the stage present a fantastic and colorful spectacle every weekend during the summer months (June to mid-September). The story of the Maupillier family is shown in this great night spectacle. This family lived in the Puy du Fou since the Middle Ages. More than six million viewers have been able to watch the spectacle over the past 25 years. This spectacle, as well as an amusement park, attract more than a million tourists every year.

Community partnerships

In 1996 the Leipzig district of Liebertwolkwitz signed a partnership agreement with Les Epesses.

See also

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Vendée. Flohic Editions, Volume 1, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-118-X , pp. 308-328.

Web links

Commons : Les Epesses  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. French Statistics Institute ( www.insee.fr )