Meillard

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meillard
Meillard (France)
Meillard
region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Allier
Arrondissement Moulins
Canton Souvigny
Community association Bocage Bourbonnais
Coordinates 46 ° 23 '  N , 3 ° 14'  E Coordinates: 46 ° 23 '  N , 3 ° 14'  E
height 245-391 m
surface 25.48 km 2
Residents 318 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 12 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 03500
INSEE code 03169

Saint Martin Church

Meillard is a central French town and municipality ( commune ) with 318 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Allier department in the north of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region . The municipality bears the label of the Conseil national des villes et villages fleuris .

location

The place Meillard lies in the wooded, fertile and hedges ( bocages ) interspersed landscape of the Bourbonnais at an altitude of about 350 meters above sea level. d. M. The town of Moulins is located approx. 27 kilometers (driving distance) to the northeast; the city of Clermont-Ferrand is about 85 kilometers south. The municipality owns several hamlets ( hamlets ) and individual farms.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2012
Residents 380 342 340 300 280 280 249 299

In the 19th century the number of inhabitants rose from around 350 to over 750 at times; Due to the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the mechanization of agriculture , the number of inhabitants in the municipality then fell continuously to the lows of the last few decades.

economy

For centuries, the people of Meillard lived as self-sufficient farmers from agriculture, which also included viticulture; in addition there were regional retail trade and handicrafts. During the phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century, viticulture came to a complete standstill, but red, rosé and white wines are now being produced again and are marketed through the appellations ' Saint-Pourçain ' and 'Val de Loire' . Some of the vacant houses in the village have been converted into holiday apartments ( gîtes ).

history

The presence of a Romanesque church proves the medieval settlement of the place. During the French Revolution , the previously independent town of La Roche was incorporated.

Attractions

Château des Aix

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Meillard

  • The parish church of Saint-Martin is a small building from the 12th century, the eastern parts of which were changed into Gothic styles in the 15th century ; During this time, the crossing tower also received its steeply towering pointed helmet . The single nave and three bay nave is barrel vaulted ; rib vaults can be found in the area of ​​the flat choir area . The church building was recognized as a monument historique in 1933 .
  • The Château des Aix is above the flow Douzenan ( 46 ° 22 '39 "  N , 3 ° 11' 25"  O ). It is a 14th-century castle on an almost square floor plan, the south side of which was torn down in the 17th century, around the new residential wing ( corps de logis ) built around the same time with its south-facing entrance area and the associated window front more light and thus to create more publicity. Only the corner towers remained from the medieval building . The palace structure, which was acquired and restored by a private individual in the 1990s after around 80 years of vacancy, was classified as a monument historique in 1989 .

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de l'Allier. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-84234-053-1 , pp. 692-693.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Église Saint-Marti, Meillard in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  2. ↑ Château des Aix, Meillard in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)