Saint-Aignan (Loir-et-Cher)
Saint-Aignan | ||
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region | Center-Val de Loire | |
Department | Loir-et-Cher | |
Arrondissement | Romorantin-Lanthenay | |
Canton | Saint-Aignan (main town) | |
Community association | Val de Cher-Controis | |
Coordinates | 47 ° 16 ' N , 1 ° 23' E | |
height | 64-164 m | |
surface | 18.48 km 2 | |
Residents | 2,849 (January 1, 2017) | |
Population density | 154 inhabitants / km 2 | |
Post Code | 41110 | |
INSEE code | 41198 | |
Website | http://www.ville-staignan.fr | |
View over the Cher to the city and castle |
Saint-Aignan in France , a municipality with 2849 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the Region Center-Val de Loire in the Loir-et-Cher in Arrondissement Romorantin and in the canton of Saint-Aignan , whose main town it is.
Located on the south side of the Cher , the municipality covers an area of 18.48 square kilometers; it lies between 64 and 164 meters above sea level . In 2007 the community had 3,209 inhabitants; In 1999 there were 3,542. Mayor has been Jean-Michel Billon since 2008.
Demographic development
year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2007 | 2017 |
Residents | 3029 | 3445 | 3602 | 3600 | 3672 | 3542 | 3209 | 2849 |
Attractions
The old town of Saint-Aignan is well preserved. In the narrow streets there are numerous buildings, some of which are several hundred years old. The Cher flows below the city and branches out here to form a small island that can be used for recreational purposes. The city's main attractions are the Saint-Aignan Collegiate Church and the Saint-Aignan Castle.
Saint Aignan's Collegiate Church
The current Saint-Aignan church was built between the beginning of the 11th and the beginning of the 13th century in place of a chapel from the 9th century. The chapel had relics of St. Bishop Anianus of Orléans and had become a much-visited pilgrimage site . A monastery originally belonged to the church .
The Romanesque - early Gothic building is a three-aisled basilica with a transept that does not protrude beyond the line of the aisles and an ambulatory with three chapels that were later added . The external impression is determined by a mighty vestibule tower in the west and an equally massive crossing tower .
The interior of the church underwent major changes in the 19th century. The crypt with its famous murals remained fortunately spared.
Fresco in the crypt
Saint-Aignan Castle
The other historic monument in the city is Saint-Aignan Castle , which can be reached from the church's porch tower via a long, curved staircase. The castle from the 16th century has two wings arranged at right angles to each other with a stair tower that was added to the Renaissance wing in the style of the 19th century .
Others
Further attractions are the birth house of Joseph Paul-Boncour and the ZooParc de Beauval , which houses 10,000 animals on 35 hectares, including two giant pandas since January 15, 2012 .
Town twinning
The twin town of Saint-Aignan is Tettnang in Baden-Württemberg.
Personalities
- Joseph Paul-Boncour (1873–1972), politician, born here
- Armand Beauvais (1840–1911), painter, died here
- Alice Pruvot-Fol (1873–1972), zoologist, born here
- Christophe-Emmanuel Bouchet (* 1959), painter, born here
literature
- Castles on the Loire . The green travel guide. Michelin Reise-Verlag, Landau-Mörlheim 1997, ISBN 2-06-711591-X , p. 269.
- Wilfried Hansmann : The Loire Valley. Castles, churches and cities in the «Garden of France» . 2nd Edition. DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 3-7701-6614-0 , p. 130 .
- Hugh Palmer, James Bentley: The Most Beautiful Villages on the Loire . Gerstenberg Verlag, Hildesheim 2001, ISBN 3-8067-2886-0 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Palmer, Bentley: The Most Beautiful Villages on the Loire, pp. 106 ff.
Web links
- Website of the municipality (accessed on January 16, 2011).
- ZooParc Beauval