Saint-Jean-de-Gonville
| Saint-Jean-de-Gonville | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Ain | |
| Arrondissement | Gex | |
| Canton | Thoiry | |
| Community association | Pays de Gex | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 13 ' N , 5 ° 57' E | |
| height | 439-1,604 m | |
| surface | 12.36 km 2 | |
| Residents | 1,787 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 145 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 01630 | |
| INSEE code | 01360 | |
| Website | Saint-Jean-de-Gonville | |
_-_Eglise.JPG) Church Saint-Jean-Baptiste of Saint-Jean-de-Gonville |
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Saint-Jean-de-Gonville is a French commune in the Ain department in the region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes .
geography
Saint-Jean-de-Gonville is at 510 m , about 15 kilometers west of the city of Geneva (as the crow flies). The former farming village extends in the Pays de Gex in a promising elevated position at the foot of the Jura below the Reculet , on the western edge of the Geneva basin near the state border with Switzerland .
The area of the municipal area of 12.36 km² covers a section of the Pays de Gex. The area is divided into two naturally very different parts. The eastern part is occupied by the fertile plain at the foot of the Jura, which rises gently towards the Jura. Various streams that arise at the foot of the Jura flow eastwards to the Allondon and cut into the plateau with more or less deep erosion channels . The most important tributary of the Allondon from the Saint-Jean-de-Gonville area is the Ruisseau de Roulavaz .
To the west, the community area extends over the steep, densely wooded slope to the ridge of the foremost Jura chain. The border runs on the ridge, which slopes steeply to the west with a rock wall. On the southwestern foothills of the Reculet, the highest point of Saint-Jean-de-Gonville is reached at 1632 m . Above around 1400 m there are extensive mountain pastures, which, however, are also interspersed with typical karst features such as sinkholes and impassable cart fields . The western municipality of Saint-Jean-de-Gonville, which belongs to the High Jura, is part of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Jura and the Haute Chaîne du Jura nature reserve .
In addition to the original site, Saint-Jean-de-Gonville also includes various villages, hamlets and new housing developments, namely:
- Sous-Saint-Jean ( 478 m ) on the plateau below the village on the former main road
- Mornex ( 521 m ) at the foot of the Jura north of the village
- Choudans ( 550 m ) at the foot of the Jura west of the village
Neighboring communities of Saint-Jean-de-Gonville are Péron in the south, Chézery-Forens in the west, Thoiry in the north and the Swiss municipality of Dardagny in the east.
history
Saint-Jean-de-Gonville was first mentioned in 1213 under the name Govelles . Over time, the spelling changed via Sanctus Johannes de Govelles (1274) and Sen Johant de Govellies (1295) to Saint Jean de Gonville, which is documented in writing as early as 1355. Later the names Sanctus Johannes Govelliarum (1397), Sanctus Johannes Gonvilliarum (1528) and Sainct Jehan de Gonvilles (1554) appeared.
As early as the 10th century, Saint-Jean-de-Gonville formed a parish (Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church), which was initially subordinate to the Satigny priory, and from 1095 to 1536 to the Saint-Victor priory in Geneva. Secular rule over the village was initially incumbent on the Counts of Geneva , who left it to the Lords of Gex in the 12th century. By inheritance, the area came to the Joinville family, who built a castle and in 1303 gave the place certain freedoms. In the 14th century the village came under the sovereignty of the Counts of Savoy . Then Saint-Jean-de-Gonville shared the checkered history of the Pays de Gex , with which it finally came to France after the conclusion of the Treaty of Lyon in 1601. The village was reformed from 1536 to 1638, after which it was re-Catholicized and the former reformed church was demolished in 1662.
Attractions
The parish church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste was built in the first half of the 17th century. Various old farmhouses from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved in the town center.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 499 |
| 1968 | 591 |
| 1975 | 742 |
| 1982 | 841 |
| 1990 | 1001 |
| 1999 | 1182 |
| 2007 | 1420 |
| 2016 | 1720 |
With 1787 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), Saint-Jean-de-Gonville is one of the smaller communities in the Ain department. The population has grown significantly since the mid-1960s. Since then the number of inhabitants has almost tripled. Numerous new single-family houses were built outside the old town center.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Saint-Jean-de-Gonville was a predominantly agricultural village. Today there are some small and medium-sized businesses. A small commercial and industrial area has developed along the main street. In the meantime, the village has also turned into a residential community. Many workers are commuters who work in the larger towns of the Pays de Gex or as cross-border commuters in the agglomeration of Geneva.
The village is located away from the major thoroughfares on a connecting road that leads from Péron along the foot of the Jura to Crozet . The main road D984 through the Pays de Gex, which is now a four-lane expressway, bypasses Saint-Jean-de-Gonville in the southeast. Another road connection is with Dardagny. The former railway line , which ran from Bellegarde-sur-Valserine to Divonne-les-Bains and also served Saint-Jean-de-Gonville, was closed. A bus line operates in their place today.
