Saint-Hilaire (Doubs)
| Saint-Hilaire | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Doubs | |
| Arrondissement | Besançon | |
| Canton | Baume-les-Dames | |
| Community association | Doubs Baumois | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 20 ′ N , 6 ° 15 ′ E | |
| height | 302-386 m | |
| surface | 2.64 km 2 | |
| Residents | 160 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 61 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 25640 | |
| INSEE code | 25518 | |
Saint-Hilaire is a French municipality with 160 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Doubs department in the region of Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Saint-Hilaire is 350 m , nine kilometers west of Baume-les-Dames and about 20 kilometers northeast of the city of Besançon (as the crow flies). The village extends in the undulating landscape between the river valleys of Doubs and Ognon , at an elevated position on the western roof of the Pinfou ridge.
The area of the 2.64 km² large municipal area includes a section in the extreme northwestern mountain ranges of the Jura . The western part of the area is occupied by a basin, which is on average 320 m. It is predominantly made up of arable and meadow land. This basin is bounded by the rising ridges of the Pinfou ( 380 m ) in the east and the Bois du Poirier (at 386 m, the highest point of Saint-Hilaire is reached here) in the southeast. There are no above-ground rivers in the entire area because the rainwater seeps into the karstified subsoil.
Neighboring communities of Saint-Hilaire are Le Puy and L'Écouvotte in the north, Breconchaux in the east, Roulans in the south and Vennans in the west.
history
Since the Middle Ages, Saint-Hilaire has belonged to the reign of the cathedral chapter of Besançon. The mother church of Saint-Hilaire for the surrounding area was founded here in the 12th century. Together with Franche-Comté , the village finally came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678.
Attractions
The current structure of the Saint-Hilaire church was built from 1769 to 1779 in the classical style in the form of a three-aisled hall church. Saint-Hilaire has a rich interior, which was moved here from various churches and monasteries in the region during the French Revolution and saved from destruction. These include a baptismal font from the 14th century, the main altar from the 18th century and various statues from the 17th and 18th centuries. Some characteristic houses from the 17th to 19th centuries in the Franche-Comté style have been preserved in the town center.
Saint-Hilaire church
Lavoir in Saint-Hilaire
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 51 |
| 1968 | 56 |
| 1975 | 49 |
| 1982 | 59 |
| 1990 | 48 |
| 1999 | 59 |
| 2004 | 125 |
| 2016 | 162 |
With 160 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), Saint-Hilaire is one of the small communities in the Doubs department. After the population had declined markedly in the first half of the 20th century (143 people were still counted in 1881), there has been significant population growth again since the beginning of the 1990s. Since then the number of inhabitants has more than doubled.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Saint-Hilaire was a village dominated by agriculture (arable farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding) and forestry. Even today, the residents live mainly from their work in the first sector. Outside the primary sector there are few jobs in the village. Some workers are also commuters who work in the surrounding larger towns.
The village is located off the main thoroughfares on a departmental road that leads from Roulans to L'Écouvotte. The closest connection to the A36 motorway is around ten kilometers away. Further road connections exist with Le Puy and Séchin.
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes du Doubs. Volume 2, Flohic Editions, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-087-6 , pp. 1167-1168.
