Cassagnes-Bégonhès

Geography

With 20min of the Rodez chief town, the borough of Cassagnes-Bégonhès is located in a valley on the river of the Céor. This quite pleasant small village is an alternative on the road towards Albi and Toulouse.

The commune reaches its culminating point in Juliane in the North-West with 661 meters, the point low being in Jasse de Rayret with 424 meters.

Cassagnes is the center of a relatively rich area and thrives, the heart of the economic activity being the production of the ewe's milk which is used with manufacture of cheese as Roquefort.

This borough suffers nevertheless from an unquestionable enclavement primarily due to the geographical relief. Improvement of the section of Cassagnes road - Bridge-of-Grandfuel would allow to facilitate the connections with Primaube and the chief town Rodez.

A river, Céor, and two brooks, Hunargues and Glandou, cross the commune.

Toponymy

Cassagnes, an environment of oaks

The origin of the name of Cassagnes is often given through the radical occitan “castagne” which would like that Cassagnes is the country of the chestnuts. However all the serious studies show that it of it is nothing.

The origin is in fact in the orthography of Provence cassanha . The termination nha results from a fusion between ia and N contiguous finishing the radical cassan . It acts in fact a contraction of cassanus , derived from quercus (Latin), the oak. One finds in the same way in the old language of oc the word cassan , breakage , which wants to say oak. The study of natural environment shows well that the oak is much more widespread there than the chestnut.

Begonhès is of administrative origin

When at the 9th century, Charlemagne divided its empire into Comté S then the latter in Viguerie S or in districts, the going territory of Viaur in Giffou was allotted to the family De Bégon. This subdivision was called consequently “Bégonhés”, the suffix “be” marking the membership and consonant “N” having been wet by the addition of “H” for the facility of the pronunciation.

History

Cassagnes-Bégonhès was the seat of the one of the four Châtellenie S of the Rouergue.

Until the middle of the 15th century, the life of Cassagnes is organized around the castle which will burn in 1584.

In 1471, it is decided to build a belfry on the church. The turret dominating the chorus is cut down, bases of the current bell-tower are built until the quarter approximately stage of the church. But in 1481 the rigors of the winter, the floods, hail and the storms make perish harvests and the cattle. The famine occurs in the region and construction is completely stopped during three years. It is only after the arrival of Jean d' Estaing, governor of the county of Rodez, in the name of Charles of Armagnac, that construction begins again and will be completed in 1499.

In the years 1810 to 1815, at the time of Napoleon i, the road of Rodez is built. Since this road was delivered to diligences, then with the trucks coming of Primaube and Rodez, Cassagnes, dedicated to misery and decrepitude, will see its houses rising, its trade and its craft industry to develop. This borough becomes thus prosperous during decades.

Administration

The list of the mayors who followed one another since the Révolution is the following one:

Jacques Bonnefous (1791)
Antoine Palous of Cailholie (1792)
Claude Faugères of Cassagnes (1793)
Antoine Bonnefous of Barrugat (1796)
Mercies Rudelle of Cassagnes (1799-1817)
Hyppolyte Grimal of Cassagnes (1848-1854)
Alphonse de Rudelle of Camalières de Cassagnes (1854-1865)
African Castlings of Saint Martin's day (1865-1874)
Auguste Roques of Saint Martin's day (1874-1876)
Etienne Mazel of Bousquet (1876-1896)
Charles Canac of Frégière (1896-1907)
Pierre-Joseph Pouget (1908-1917)
Mr. Izard (1917-1919)
Alphonse de Rudelle (1919-1944)
Jean Dirtied (1945-1959)
Marie-Paul Alric (1959-1965)
Léopold Destours (1965-1989)
Francis Cailhol (1989-1995)
Christiane Vernhes (1995-2001)
Francis Cailhol (2001 -)

Demography

Before the 20th century

According to the files, until the middle of the 17th century, the agglomeration, blottie around the old castle, counted a weak population, not very active. In 1787, one listed 632 inhabitants, including 266 in Cassagnes and 366 in the farms and close hamlets. The " then were said; feux" and not hearths. It is only after the Revolution that the borough took extension.

The families increased (4,1 children on average by fire in 1861, as much in 1900-1911). It is between 1870 and 1911-1913 that Cassagnes knew its demographic apogee with an average of 1415 inhabitants and the maximum reached in 1891 with 1473 inhabitants.

Evolution at the 20th century

The demographic trends appear extremely different thereafter: a loss record between 1911 and 1921 primarily due to the war of 1914-1918 (51 hairy died with the field of honor), but also to the Spanish influenza of 1918.

Then the rural migration appeared since 1920 until 1950-1960, much emigrating towards the capital, but the population is maintained. It is really as from years 1970-1980 that demography does not cease decreasing. The hemorrhage is of 24% of the population between 1962 and 1999.

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Places and monuments

The church of Cassagnes

Its situation in bottom of valley does not allow him an optimal development, even if the height of the bell-tower is of 44 meters.

Towards the top of the turret which places the staircase, like middle height of the one of the buttresses, an escutcheon carrying the armorial bearings of Monseigneur de Polignac, bishop of Rodez of 1494 to 1501 (three bands of money surmounted by a anrosse) allow to date this building.

The pyramidal roof makes think of a Chinese hat and is not more esthetic. He makes regret the belt of crenels and of machicolation which, says one, formed a gracious crowning formerly.

The bell-tower includes/understands four stages: the underground, bottom of the church, the room of the clock and the residence of the bells.

Four bells are installed in the bell-tower. The two large bells molten in 1881 and were dedicated one to the Holy-Virgin, the other in Saint-Julien owner of the parish.

The two other bells bear the name of “Sit nomen domini benedictum” and of Saint Martin's day”. The first, melted in 1838, was installed the shortly after the Revolution. As for the bell of the Saint Martin's day, oldest, it sounds since 1595. It was formerly called “the bell of hail” because it would have prevented several times hail from falling to the ports from the borough from Cassagnes.

Various work was completed at the 20th century. A small revolution in 1957: the installation of benches. This was not done indeed without difficulties because before this date… each one had its reserved place!

The large stained glass of the chorus goes back to 1904. It introduces with raising flood the sunlight and all on the other hand the platform lets admire a superb blazing rosette. Symbol of the twelve tribes of Israel, this stained glass is decorated with twelve medallions that the setting sun makes resplendir like a canopy of cathedral.

Sights of the church of Cassagnes

According to Weather France, it fell 150 mm between 19:30 to 22:00. The parapet of the bridge crossing Céor crumbled, two buses as well as about fifteen vehicles were involved on more than 100 meters and about fifteen houses, especially the trade, underwent large damage.

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