Aizenay

Aizenay is commune of the Vendée, whose inhabitants are called Agésinates, which would like to say “conducting asses” according to a tradition of the 12th century, but which appears false, the Agésinates being the Celtic tribe which populated the area. The common one counts approximately 7400 inhabitants today.

Geography

Aizenay is located at 15 km in the North-West of the Roche-sur-Yon, 25 km of Saint-Gilles-Cross-of-Life and Challans and 30 km of the Sand-with Olonne (on the Vendean coast).

Aizenay is bordering on the communes of the Vault-Palluau, Maché, Apremont, Coëx, the Vault-Hermier, Martinet, Beaulieu-sous-la-Roche, Venansault, Génétouze and the Pear-on-Life.

Its septentrional limit follows the course of the Vie and its southernmost limit the course of the Jaunay

Commune of the Canton of the Pear-on-Life, Aizenay decides Esnàe in Poitevin (Parlanjhe). Traditionally, Agésinates are called in poitevin breadths Trjhous (" Toujours").

Old forms: Ecclesia de Asineis in the 11th century, Asiniacum and Asianum with 12th, Strike, Asyanensis, Asiniacum and Aisenei with 13th, of Asiano, Ayzenoys and Aizenois with 14th, Asenayum with 15th, Izenay with 18th, Aizenay with 18th.

Environment

Aizenay has 2 flowers () with the Concours of the cities and flowered villages (2nd flower obtained at the time of the prize list 2007).

History

There remains only little of vestiges of last if not the troglodytic dwellings at the edge of the Life. Saint-benoît died there into 360 (see Abbaye Saint-Beno4it cheese of Quinçay).

The commune does not count any listed monument. On the other hand, some archaeological vestiges there were listed:

of the wells known as funeral Gallo-Roman be under the current borough,
a Nécropole of the Early middle ages around the old church,
the castle of " Maronnière" there remains still the body of central building which replaced a fortress of the 14th-15th centuries.

One also notes on the communal territory the presence of many beautiful residences like " Petitière" (noble house transform in farm), " Giraudinière" (old castle) or the home of the " Large Plessis".

Among the remarkable elements:

a chimney with " Bonnefonds" (http://www.bonnefonds.com)
a processional cross and a lamp sanctuary silver of the 17th century, chalices, statues and crucifixes old.

Modern history

Located between Saint-Joseph of the Moors and Brionnière, the stele of Brionnière commemorates the parachuting of 3 tons weapons, on August 11th, 1943.

March 27th, 1944, a American B-17 is crushed with the skirt of forest of Aizenay. Baptized Big Red by its crew, it belonged to the 388e Group Bomb. With 545 other apparatuses, it was going to bombard objectives located in the area of Bordeaux.

the Vault-Palluau was attached to Aizenay between the September 1972 and on May 31st, 1979.

Tales and legends

The life of a country are not expressed only in the facts and events which mark out its history, but still in these tales and these legends which take with reality greatest freedom, but perhaps express in a style more picturesque, more poetic, the aspirations, the beliefs or fears of a whole people.

Sabats wizard

The Sabats of wizard were held with cross of Clapechère or Lavignon, and the Loup-garou which haunted the village of Arcis was put in escape only by means of one stick of medlar tree.

A garache

A garache quoted on Aizenay by Dr. Baudouin was actually a metamorphosed young lady who ran the Loup-garou thus. It is probably the same one as mentioned already the Baudry abbot in 1873: One evening, an applicant, blotti under the bed, saw its been engaged to leave for Lavignon, after being themselves ointe of a magic grease, and having repeated three times:

Over the hedges and the bushes!

to go to join Lavignon!

Eager to follow it, it oignit in the same way; only, having forgotten the formula “Over…” and having replaced it by the words “Through the hedges and the bushes” , it arrived at Lavignon the body very ensanglanté by the spines which it had had to run up. Moreover, with the return, seeing its promised in marriage to cross the river of a jump, he would have exclaimed admiring “Jesus! ”, which caused to make him lose all to be able; and of the blow, it was obliged to return to foot.

The cup with the three priests

The cup with the three priests is the name of a locality which is in extreme cases of Aizenay and the Pear-on-Life. More precisely, it is about a name given to a portion of the river of Courtin, which separates the two localities. One says indeed that the priests of Aizenay, of Pear and Génétouze had formerly habit to meet in this place to form their part of usual fly there, to the beautiful season. One day that they were thirsty, they had lengthened all the three for drinking with same the river, when at the same time a quidam passed which exclaimed: " Ca makes three priests who drink with the same cup! ". And the name would have remained about it.

Notre-Dame de Bonsecours

Notre-Dame de Bonsecours, beseeched at the time of a terrible epidemic, would have released the parish of this plague, in recognition of what the inhabitants of Aizenay built in the borough a vault which was dedicated to him. This vault was soon a goal of pilgrimage for people of the neighborhoods. It was definitively destroyed in 1837.

The Trench of the Moors

A legend says that the Moors, after being beaten with Poitiers by Charles Martel, would be flee by joining the coast through a trench, this trench passing by Aizenay.

Anecdote: The line of the hot Line which connects the White House to the Elysium passes by Aizenay.

Demography

Economy

Wood, traditionally, thanks to its forest.

Previously textile clothes industry and shoe. Today industries having the most importance: plastic openings (Atlantic Cougnaud SA Joinery, group Lapeyre - Saint-Gobain); microwaves (Fagor - Brandt).

Various metallurgy companies (with specializations in cutting with the water jet and the laser). Several flour mills and various agro-alimentary small firms. Printing works.

Public works, career, haulage company.

Shipping companies and distribution of drink on the level of the department (France Drink of the group Heineken and Elidis of the group Kronenbourg).

Craft industries, trade, large surfaces.

Many agricultural companies, with for principal activities the breeding of cow with meat and milch cow, poultry breedings, of pigs, truck farming… Goat's milk cheese considered locally.

The 2×2 ways which connects Aizenay to the Roche-sur-Yon was the first section of this kind in the Vendée. It was an axis of major economic development for the commune.

List (incomplete) mayors of Aizenay

List of the mayors of the Vendée

See too

Common of the Vendée

External bonds

Site of the Tourist bureau
Site of the Town hall
Blazon of Aizenay on Wikimedia Commons
Aizenay on the site of the national geographical Institute
Aizenay on the site of INSEE
Aizenay on the site of Quid
Localization of Aizenay on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Aizenay on Mapquest

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