Champsaur

The Champsaur (in local Patois Champsaou ) is the high valley Drac, affluent of the Isere, since its source, or rather its sources, in the south of the Massif of the Jewel cases, to its exit of the department of the Hautes-Alpes, with the entry of the lake of Sautet.
One often associates to him the Valgaudemar, tributary valley traversed by the Séveraisse, which is thrown in Drac little before the lake, and the small valley of Séveraïssette, a few kilometers upstream. Thus the Champsaur-Valgaudemar is one of the “countries” of the department of the Hautes-Alpes.

Geography

Geographically, Champsaur belongs to the basin of the Isere, whereas the near total of Hautes-Alpes is in the basin of the Durance.

It is bordered in the west by the solid mass of the Dévoluy, left the calcareous Préalpes of nature, and in north and the east by the Massif of the Jewel cases (Olan, Vieux Chaillol), left the internal Alps of crystalline nature. It is separated from the basin of Gap, in the south, by a mountainous line energy of the last tops of the south of the Chaîne of the Banns (Autanes) to the buttresses of the Dévoluy (the Peak of Gleize), while passing by the Col of Manse (altitude 1269 meters) and the Col Bayard (1246 Mr.), only communications between the area of Gap - Spray and the Dauphiné and watershed between Durance and Isere.

The valley of Champsaur is of origin glacial. At the time of the last great glaciation, the glacier of Orcières, parallel with the glacier of the Durance, butting against the Dévoluy, was off-set towards north. It was placed in the furrow formed by the contact between Préalpes limestones and the crystalline solid mass, where it formed a bed widened (" in U"), crossed by some bolts. Once the disappeared glacier, the Drac hollowed out again this glacial bottom, and formed a valley with the more marked profile there (" in V"), leaving on the sides the remainders of the glacial bed, which seem today high plains perched above the river.
Another trace of this diluvial period is the plain of Ancelle, old suspended lake, now filled.

Climate

Climatically, Champsaur is also distinguished from the remainder of the department of Hautes-Alpes: very open towards the north, and protected on the other azimuths (in particular by Dévoluy in the west), it benefits less softness from the Mediterranean climate still sensitive at Gap, and undergoes the mode of the north winds , winds of north which bring to him the clouds going up of the basin of Grenoble, and, in winter, the cold of the solid masses from the Dauphine. The summer remains on the other hand particularly pleasant by its softness and its ensoleillement.

It is an alpine country, with the rather important rainfall (more than 1200 mm of water per annum) but with an estival minimum. In 1985,119 days of rain (precipitations higher than 0,1 mm), 47 days of snow, 160 days of freezing (minimal Temperature lower than 0°C.), and only 10 days of heat (maximum Temperature higher than 25 °C.).

Landscape

The landscape is the one of rare the Bocage S preserved in Europe : small pieces, separated by long-lived hedges, which shelter them wind and cold in winter, preserve moisture in summer to them, and are used as shelter with many species of birds. The many channels of irigation, often them so bordered of shrubs, supplement this space division.

Life of the valley

Habitat

The habitat semi-is dispersed: the majority of the communes are made up of several hamlets having their own personality; the permanent population by commune is weak, about 100 to 200 inhabitants for the majority; only Saint-Bonnet, the " capitale" history and economic, exceeds the thousand.

The tourist surge, although less than in the Alps of North, multiplies these figures abruptly, in winter for some ski stations, and summer for many other communes.

The second home is numerous, which belongs essentially to inhabitants of Grenoble, Lyon and Marseilles.

Economy

The economy of Champsaur is traditionally rural (breeding, meadows, wood). One produced there meat of quality, pork-butchery, cheeses, and varied culinary specialities: " tourtons" , petrels, snails, tarts, ears of asses, ravioles, crucibles, torta of let us cut.

Tourism, estival and winter, developed there, but in a way more moderate than in the close Dauphiné or in Savoy: put aside Orcières - Merlette and Saint-Leger-the-Larches, the stations of Champsaur are of family size: Ancelle, Chaillol, Bush hammer.

Communications

Since highest antiquity, Champsaur was a crossing point.
If none the great Roman ways crossed it, it is proven that the Roman soldiers frequently connected Embrun to Grenoble while following Drac, to which they gave its name ( Dracus = dragon).
To the the Middle Ages, one of the important routes between the region of Lion and Italy passed by Champsaur, the collar of Freyssinières and Embrun.
The annexation by the dolphins of Viennese to the XIV° century, the accession with the throne of France of the dolphin Louis II with the XV°, then the catch in hand of the area by the duke of Lesdiguières at the end of the XVI°, reinforced this axis of communication towards north. The passage towards the high Durance was done then rather by the collar of Moissières.

Nowadays, it is with the basin of Gap and the high Durance that Champsaur communicates most naturally. The descent of Drac to Grenoble is long and broken, whereas the Bayard collars and of Manse give an rapid access with the chief town of the department. ; Towards the south Champsaur is separated from the basin of Gap by the Watershed between Isere and Durance. But this line is easy to cross:

RN85 connects low Champsaur at Gap by the Col Bayard (altitude 1246 meters)
the RD944 connects high Champsaur at Gap by the Col of Manse (altitude 1269 meters)
the RD14 secondarily connects low Champsaur to the high Durance by the collar of Manse
, the RD213 connects Ancelle to Build-New by the collar of Moissière (altitude 1571 meters)

These collars comprise important declivities (up to 12%), and are prone in winter to risks of freezing or snow-drifts; but they remain seldom crossed more few hours, and the buildings can manage this kind of situation.
Gap is with 15 kilometers of Saint-Bonnet and 20 of Bridge-of-Ditch. ; Towards north The exit of Champsaur is inevitably carried out by Corps. From there the continuous trunk road through the Beaumont towards Walls It and Grenoble by a rather sinuous route and, by moments, victim. It is possible to fork towards the Trièves, but this route, very picturesque, is even slower.
Grenoble is with 85 kilometers of Saint-Bonnet, Lyon to 190 kilometers, Paris with 660.
The decision of contruire a highway of Gap to Grenoble by Champsaur and Trièves was made at the summer 2007. Grenoble would be then at less than one hour of Saint-Bonnet. ; Towards the west Champsaur communicates with the Dévoluy only by the Col of the Walnut tree (altitude 1664 meters). This collar, of painful access, is closed nearly 6 months per annum, because of snowing up and of the stone falls which damage the road. The turning by Body and the procession of the Souloise are often necessary.
Saint-Etienne-in-Dévoluy is with 20 kilometers of Saint-Bonnet by the collar of the Walnut tree, 35 per Corps.
It should be noted that, a few days per annum, the road of the collar is reserved to the cyclists between the Walnut tree and Saint-Etienne. ; Towards the east The only communication between Champsaur and outside is here the collar of Freyssinières (altitude 2782 meters), formerly usually borrowed but now reserved from the hikers.

Public transport

the line of coaches Gap - Grenoble, of the network Transisère , follows main road 85. Two return tickets per day are assured. The bus make the hook by Saint-Bonnet. An additional return ticket is ensured in school period between Gap and Saint-Firmin.
No railway line serves Champsaur. Paris is at 6 hours of Gap per rail-car and TGV via Valence, or a night by Corail Lunéa. On the other hand, Paris is with 2:30 of Grenoble per TGV (but the bus spends 2 hours to connect Saint-Bonnet to Grenoble).
the aerodrome nearest is that of Gap-Tallard, with 10 kilometers in the south of Gap, where no regular line is proposed.

While descending Drac

For a complete description of the valley of Drac, to see

History

Origin of the name

The oldest mention of a name for this country goes back to 1027, in a bubble of the pope Jean XIX: regio quæ vocatur Camsaurus ; one then finds, in 1116, Campo Sauro and Campi Sauri (Ch.de Durbon), then, in 1340, ducatus Campi Auri ; in 1504 Champsaour , 1552 Champsor , etc

The exact etymology of the name Champsaur is very discussed. If the first syllable is recognized by all like campus , field, the final leaves free course to interpretation:

Campus aurus , field gilded (etymology allotted to Jules César, and readily taken again, in particular by Frederic Mistral)
Campus Sauri , field of Saurus (Mr. the German abbot, 1895)
Campus severi (Georges de Manteyer & J.Roman, 1905)
Campus sauros , field of lizards (R.P. Brisseau)
Campus saurus , dry field (not very probable for which knows the grounds of the place)
Campus aurae , field of the winds (too much banal)

etc

Language

The traditional speeches hardly any more meet in Champsaur. However some memories remain long-lived, and re-appear on the occasion: tales, counting rhymes, songs, poems or swearwords in " patois" …
Historically, Champsaur belongs to the zone of provençaux speeches, or more generally Occitan S, but the influence Francoprovençal E is sensitive there. Many differences appear in the pronunciation. Thus one there known as ousseou for ocèu or ocel (=oiseau: " All ousseou troba soun NIC beou"), petcho for pichot (=petit: Petchos meinas petchos concern, large meinas large concern ), will charrièra for will carriera (=rue), fouont for make (=source), etc

The traces of this linguistic substrate are apparent in a variety of terms or expressions of origin of Provence or Arpitan E integrated into the current language. The Encyclopédie of Champsaur of Faure de Prégentil counts several hundreds of them. Some are common to Provence ( oblique for manner , néguer for to drown ) others are from the Dauphine ( dzouves for young people, campane for bell ), even Lyonese ( cuchon for heap ).

History of the valley

One does not know large-thing of the very first inhabitants of Champsaur. One found with Aubérie (common of Bénévent-and-Charbillac) an ornament bronzes some going back to 1000 years before J.C. A dolmen with the Roranches (common of Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas) attests presence of Celtes.
The most former known inhabitants of Champsaur are the Tricorii , which populated the totality of the basin of Drac, then named Tricus , and of current the Trièves , before the Roman invasion. The area was then infested by the bears, as testify some the preserved toponyms: Orcières , Montorcier ( Mons Urserii ).
At the time of Roman colonization, the area belonged to the Narbonnaise. A junction of the Via Domitia, coming from Milan, passed, seems it, by the Collar of Manse and descended Drac until Limes (Vizille). Drac accepted its name of the Romans who followed the course from there… and the risings of them particularly devastators underwent: Dracus , dragon.
In 739, Abbon , governor of Suse, in Piedmont, bequeathed its parishes of Haut-Champsaur to the Abbaye of Novalaise, which it itself had founded into 726. Novalaise will bequeath its rights to the abbey of Bremen, which will yield them shortly after to the Ordre of Cluny: in 950, the abbot Guillaume IV of Saint-Chaffre in Velay was gestionnaire.
At the 8th century, Sarrazins had come to settle in the high alpine valleys; in testify for example a cave to Sarrazins above the confluence black Drac and white Drac, a turn sarrasine carried by Drac in 1856, perhaps also the hamlet close to the Tourengs . After many exactions, whose attack of Maieul de Forcalquier, abbot of Cluny to the bridge of Orcières, in 974, these Sarrazins was decimated with the localities Chamort (field dead) by Guillaume Ier of Provence, and definitively driven out région.

At the 11th century, the lord of Montorcier and the bishop of Gap shared the possession of the grounds of Champsaur. At the 12th century, Champsaur échut with the counts of Forcalquier. Initially vassal of the counts of Provence, the counts de Viennois , known as dolphins because of the presence of these animals in their weapons, took little by little possession of the country, since named Dauphiné.
Humbert II , the last of the dolphins, was a loved reformer of the populations. In 1307, it authorized them to bequeath their goods; it made castle of Montorcier, acquired by one of its ancestors on the parish of Midsummer's Day, on high Drac, a sumptuous residence. When in 1349 Andre, his only son, died in low age with Montorcier, Humbert II decided to give up in her States; not having been able to sell them with Benoit XII, Pope in Avignon, it bequeathed them to Philippe de Valois, soon King de France under the name of Charles V, realizing 200000 guilders, and in the condition which the son of the king is the lord: the Dauphine one, whose Champsaur, was from now on French, and titrates it Dauphin échut with wire of the kings successifs.
The Dolphin Louis II , wire of Charles VII, remained a long time in Grenoble, and regularly made stage with Montorcier on the road of Embrun. It was close to the populations, and spoke their language. Become king under the name of Louis XI, it gave armorial bearings to several families of Champsaur. In 1442, it authorized the digging of a channel of Bridge-of-Ditch in the St. Lawrence. In 1447, it exempted to tax the inhabitants of Champoléon devastated by a rising of Drac.

At the time of the wars of religion, François de Bonne , native of Saint-Bonnet, involved Champsaur in the camp of the Réformés. He enlisted the peasants, and its troops made devastations until Gap, Embrun and Corps, cities faithful to the catholic faith. But when Of Good, become duke of Even Lesdiguières and of France in 1611, converts with Catholicism, it brought back " son" Champsaur with the Kingdom of France and pacified it. He became the benefactor about it, constuisant bridges and hospitals, and organizing the administration of Dauphine in his ensemble.
In 1692, the troops of the duke Victor-Amédée II of Savoy devastated the area, but did not take possession.
of it By successive repurchases, of 1686 to 1730, the Jesuits of the college of Spray became " lords of Orcières" and owners of most of Haut-Champsaur.

In 1790, Champsaur-Valgaudemar and Dévoluy were integrated into the department Hautes-Alpes, in the Arrondissement of Gap, except the communes of Orcières, Champoléon and Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas, which was attached to the district of Spray, before returning to that of Gap.
In 1801, some Champsaurins refused the Legal settlement, and were organized to remain faithful to the Pape in Rome ; they were called the Patarons , nickname evoking the patareaux (floorcloths).
At the time of sound return of the Isle of Elba, Napoleon i crossed Champsaur, making halt on March 6th 1815 with the foot of Saint-Bonnet, before going to the meeting of the Resident of Grenoble to Laffrey.
During second half of the 18th century, the population become surplus taking into consideration possibility of agriculture caused a wave of emigration; it is counted that more than 5000 champsaurins left towards the new world , selling their little of good, often in the State; some made fortune, some returned. Others left in the same way in Algérie.
In 1881, Champsaur counted more than 15000 inhabitants; in 2005, this population was not any more that of approximately 5000, but expressed, recently, a clear tendency to recovery.

Inheritance

Écomusée

Champsaur and Valgaudemar joined to create a “burst écomusée”, whose various sites present each one one of the aspects most characteristic of the country and its History. While traversing the country, one can thus visit:

“the house of botany”, with the To drown
“the farm of the History”, in Pisançon (commune of Bénévent-and-Charbillac)
“the workshop - space junctions”, in Chaillol-1600 (commune of Saint-Michel-with-Chaillol)
“the refuge of the animals”, with Saint-Leger-the-Larches
“the old country house”, with Bridge-of-Ditch (common of Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas)
“the school of formerly”, at Midsummer's Day (common of Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas)
“the mill of Villar-Loubière” in Valgaudemar.

Irrigation canals

Champsaur, because of its geographical location, always missed water in summer. As of the the Middle Ages, trade unions were created to organize watering. In 1442, Louis XI authorized the construction of a channel of Bridge-of-Ditch in the St. Lawrence , and in 1450 it authorized Gapençais to divert the brook of Ancelle to sprinkle their grounds. This first channel of Gap is always in activity. In 1774, the count of Herbeys , whose castle is a hotel residence today, made build a 18 kilometers length channel to bring on the parish of Chauffayer the water of the Séveraisse.

With the XVIII° century, Champsaurins built the channel of Bridge-of-Ditch . It had its origin at the entry of the plain of Chabottes, shortly after the confluence of both Dracs, with 1120 meters of altitude, the locality Pont of the Ditch , become since the principal hamlet of the commune of Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas. From there it left to hillside on left bank Drac, passing under Saint-Leger, and crossed the brook of Ancelle by a still existing aqueduct, before serving the communes of Forest-Saint-Julien and Saint-Laurent-of-Cross-country race. After having crossed the brook of Good, under the village of Bush hammer, it was directed in north, as Drac from which it was then distant from 2 kilometers, then served Fare-in-Champsaur, Poligny and finally the Walnut tree, after a course of almost 30 kilometers.
It ceased functioning in 1963.
Many sections of the channel are still visible on the ground, like several from its works of art, in particular the aqueduct of Pont of Striking on the brook of Ancelle, stone construction of approximately 10 meters height and 20 length.

. There, to 1750 meters of altitude, a distributer distributed flows between the users of Saint-Michel, Buissard and Saint-Julien, while an emissary left to western direction, hillside, to the lake-tank of Barbeyroux, feeding Chanet by the béal of Ponteillard and the channel of Condamines, Saint-Bonnet by the béal of Fontaniou, and finally Bénévent, with 7 kilometers of the distributer.
Work was slow to begin, and advanced slowly, the work conditions in altitude being particularly unfavourable: the building site of Badly-Cross-country race was at 4 hours of walk of the village, subjected cold, with snow and freezing more than 6 months per annum, with the sun and the dryness in summer; it was necessary to cut the rock in unstable falls, then to stabilize and release permanently the already traced sections of channel. A hundred workmen became exhausted there. When finally the channel reached Chaillol in 1872, the high part was already weakened, and one needed a permanent maintenance to ensure a hardly satisfactory flow. " rigoles" towards Saint-Bonnet were completed in 1878; those towards Buissard and Bénévent were never completed.
The difficulty and the maintenance costs exceeded the average materials and human interested parties. The channel functioned only a few decades before being purely and simply abandoned. It remains about it today of many traces, as well in altitude (the “hut of Parisian”, with the collar of Riou Beyrou, which was used as hut of building site, and a section in tunnel in through Tourond) as in Chaillol even (the distributer) and especially of Chaillol with Barbeyroux, where the layout of the channel became a walk with hillside.
An association was constituted to try to preserve this inheritance, in homage to the ancestors who had the courage of such an ambitious company. (Sources: review the Alps and Midi, Gap, April 2006)

Many other channels were built during the XIX° century, from which the majority disappeared in the years 1960. Some on the other hand are always in activity. It is the case in particular new channel of Gap , built in 1864, which takes on Drac upstream Bridge-of-Ditch, crosses the brook of Ancelle by an aqueduct and passes in tunnel under the collar of Manse. Around Molines-in-Champsaur, several derivations of Séveraissette are they also in activity.

To see in Champsaur

above Orcières: Prapic and the lake of Estaris
in the valley of Champoléon: the cascade of Emblard
in Ancelle: the castle
in Pont of Striking: aqueducts of the channel of Bridge-of-Ditch and the channel of Gap
above Saint-Julien: Puy de Manse
above Chaillol: remainders of the channel of Badly-Cross-country race
to Saint-Bonnet: houses XVI° century
with Fare-in-Champsaur: the site of Notre-Dame of Wood-green
to the Walnut tree: the cascade Holy-Catherine
with Bénévent-and-Charbillac: the vault of Pétêtes
in the valley of Séveraïssette: the small valley of Roy
in Glaizil: ruins of the castle-extremely of Lesdiguières
in Chauffayer: the castle of Herbeys
in Motty: the procession of the throats of the Wolf

and in Valgaudemar:

at the bottom of the valley: the cascade of the " veil mariée"
with the Vault and Ubac of Saint-Maurice, in winter: sculptures on ice
in Saint-Firmin: ruins of the castle-extremely

Personalities related to Champsaur

Guillaume Farel (1484-1565), disciple of Calvin, introducer of Protestantism in Champsaur
François de Bonne, Duke of Lesdiguières (1543-1626)
Martin Albert de Champoléon, associated and brother-in-law of Lesdiguières, named by him governor of Gap in 1557
Sebastien the Russet-red one, lord of Prégentil, said the Bastien captain, author of the catch of Body by the reformed troops
Pierre Terrail, said the Knight Bayard , of a family originating in Saint-Eusèbe
Louis François count in Herbeys, manufacturer of the irrigation canal of Chauffayer in 1775
Eugene-Andre Champollion, painter, and Jean-François Champollion, Egyptologist, in which the family was originating in Champoléon
Dominique Villars, born with the Walnut tree in 1755, botanist, senior of the medical college of Strasbourg
Blanc of Nautte, born with Aspres-the-Body, diplomat, annobli by Napoleon i
the count d' Hauterive, wire of White of Nautte, appointed elected official of Gap in 1839 against Adolphe Thiers
Paul Robert, wire of carrying of Saint-Bonnet, author of a large dictionary of the French language
Paul Champsaur, which was managing director of INSEE, then president of ART and of the ARCEP
Guy Aubert, born in Costes in 1938, which was managing director of CNRS then CNED
Michel Crespin, born with Saint-Bonnet, draftsman of data base
Pierre Bernard-Reymond, senator of Hautes-Alpes and former mayor of Gap, whose family is champsaurine.
Jean-Claude Gaudin, mayor of Marseilles, which has an apartment with Orcières
Pierre-Gilles of Genoa, Nobel Prize of physics, whose family is champsaurine since four generations

(a more complete list is in the Encyclopédie of Champsaur )

Bibliographical references

Encyclopedia of Champsaur , by Robert Faure de Prégentil, imp. Louisjean, Gap, 2005, ISBN2-909956-49-0
History of mandement of Montorcier , by the abbot J. Ranguis, 1905, republication by Vollaire, with Gap, 1978
History of the life of the Constable of Lesdiguières , by L.VIDEL, at Rocolet, Paris, 1638
Champsaur, history and memory , by R.Faure, ED. Ophrys

External bonds

the site of the house of tourism located with Fare
the site of the tourist bureau of Saint-Bonnet
http://www.les-ecrins-parc-national.fr/
http://www.imep-cnrs.com/pages/campagne.htm
villages of Champsaur
villages of Haut-Champsaur
and

Random links: