Ray-sur-Saône
| Ray-sur-Saône | ||
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Haute-Saône | |
| Arrondissement | Vesoul | |
| Canton | Dampierre-sur-Salon | |
| Community association | Quatre Rivières | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 35 ' N , 5 ° 50' E | |
| height | 197-263 m | |
| surface | 7.88 km 2 | |
| Residents | 210 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 27 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 70130 | |
| INSEE code | 70438 | |
 View of the village and the castle |
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Ray-sur-Saône is a municipality in the French department of Haute-Saône in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Ray-sur-Saône is located at an altitude of 210 m above sea level, 24 km west of Vesoul and about 42 km north-northwest of the city of Besançon (as the crow flies). The village extends in the west of the department, on a slightly elevated position on the northern edge of the wide Saône valley .
The area of the 7.88 km² municipal area covers a section of the central Saône valley. The eastern and southern borders mostly run along the Saône, which flows here with large loops through a wide alluvial lowland to the west. The flood plain averages 198 m and is about one kilometer wide. The river has been developed into a waterway, with the loops being cut off by a canal. That is why the Saône has near-natural banks and forms small islands in various places.
From the course of the river the community area extends northwest over the valley floodplain and a 40 m high steep slope to the adjacent plateau. This plateau consists of an alternating layer of calcareous and sandy-marl sediments from the upper Jurassic period . The fertile soils of the valley and plateau are mainly used for agriculture. To the north-west, the municipal soil extends into the extensive forest of the Bois des Dames (251 m). At 263 m, the highest point in Ray-sur-Saône is reached on a hill north of the castle.
Neighboring municipalities of Ray-sur-Saône are Theuley and Vanne in the north, Soing-Cubry-Charentenay in the east, Vellexon-Queutrey-et-Vaudey in the south and Ferrières-lès-Ray , Recologne and Tincey-et-Pontrebeau in the west.
history
The municipality of Ray-sur-Saône was populated very early. The earliest evidence of man's presence comes from the Bronze Age. In Gallo-Roman times there was an oppidum here that controlled a ford of the Saône.
Ray is first mentioned in a document in the 10th century under the name Radiaco . Over time, the spelling changed via Raiaco , Raeia , Rail , Rahil and Ras to the current name. The Ray area belonged to the Saint-Vincent monastery in Chalon-sur-Saône , which ceded it to the Duke of Burgundy in 1237. In the Middle Ages Ray belonged to the Free County of Burgundy and in that part of the Bailliage d'Amont . The Ray reign has existed since 1080 and was one of the most important in the region. The mighty castle on the hill north of the Saône was once flanked by 14 towers. Ray developed into a castle town and was shaped by trade and commerce.
Ray fell victim to looting and destruction several times: in 1439 by the Grandes Compagnies and in 1569 by the troops of the Duke of Zweibrücken. During the Thirty Years' War the place was again affected and the castle partially destroyed when Duke Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar crossed the Saône with his troops on June 22, 1637. Together with the Franche-Comté , Ray finally came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. Today Ray-sur-Saône is a member of the community association Communauté de communes des Quatre Rivières, which comprises 42 localities .
Attractions
Ray-sur-Saône has preserved the appearance of a late medieval town and has been awarded the “Petite Cité Comtoise de Caractère” label. Numerous town houses and farmhouses from the 17th to 19th centuries have been preserved in the old town center. The Gothic church of Saint-Pancras originally dates from the 13th / 14th centuries. Century and was changed in the 16th century. It has a rich interior , including the choir stalls (17th century), a pulpit in the Louis XIV style, statues and paintings from the 16th to 18th centuries and numerous grave slabs. Other places of interest in the village include several Calvaires (stone crosses), the Maison des Moines (16th century) and the Lavoir (early 19th century), which once served as a wash house and cattle trough. It is equipped with an oval water basin and opens onto the main square with four arcades. The Notre-Dame chapel (17th century) is in the open field west of the village.
The castle, which was rebuilt around 1700 in the Louis XIV style, sits enthroned on the ledge north of Ray. The three wings of this complex are arranged in a U-shape, the main wing facing the Saône valley being flanked by two medieval towers. The castle, which is surrounded by an English park, houses a museum with exhibits from the time of the Ray reign.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 278 |
| 1968 | 250 |
| 1975 | 224 |
| 1982 | 221 |
| 1990 | 201 |
| 1999 | 192 |
With 210 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) Ray-sur-Saône is one of the small communities in the Haute-Saône department. After the population had decreased significantly during the first half of the 20th century (509 people were still counted in 1881), only minor fluctuations have been recorded since the mid-1970s.
Economy and Infrastructure
For a long time Ray-sur-Saône was a village dominated by agriculture (arable farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding) and fishing. In addition, however, trade and industry that were dependent on water power (mills, tannery) were also important. Today there are various local small businesses, mainly in the precision engineering, transport and construction industries. There is an electricity company on the Saône. 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 department road that leads from Vellexon to Lavoncourt . Further road connections exist with Membrey and Vanne.
Born in Ray
- Jean-Nicolas Marjolin (1780–1850), surgeon and pathologist
Web links
- Information on the municipality of Ray-sur-Saône (French)
- Site about Ray-sur-Saône with many pictures