Chirens

Chirens is a common French, located in the department of the Isere and the area the Rhone-Alps.

Its inhabitants are Chirennois. Chirens represents 1/8e surface of the canton of Voiron and fact part of the agglomeration of communes of the Pays Voironnais.

Administration

History

Villa Nova Di Chiroyen is quoted in 1330. It is a new city created by the lords of Clermont-Thunder to develop the economic activity, with a reduced tax mode. The most probable explanation is: “ chi ” = narrow, tightened and “ ren ” = river is “ water running in a resserré place; ”. The village is actually built at the edge of Ainan, between two marshy zones.

A book on Chirens will leave before Christmas 2007 at the editions Sutton (memory in images) http://www.editions-sutton.com/

Monuments

The tower of Clermont

The commune of Chirens belonged to the 10th century with the Clermont-Thunder. They set up a castle-extremely on the hill of Clermont which overhangs the valley of Chirens and offers a beautiful outline on the valley of Charavines (without to see the Lac of Paladru). The castle was built with triple enclosure and had an irregular pentagonal keep. It seems that the castle was abandoned at the beginning of the 16th century and dismantled in 1626 per royal order inspired by Richelieu, like the other castles which were not used any more to defend France. Only the keep, which always belongs to the Clermont-Thunder remains today and it with the not very current characteristic to be pentagonal. There exists also the castle of Montcler, opposite, connected to Clermont by an underground. There were exits in certain houses and made suppose tésors hidden under the crumblings.

Priory of Chirens

History

It was built at the 11th century and belonged to the order of the Benedictines of saint-Pierre of Vienna. The history of the Priory of Chirens is related to the monastery of Theudère Saint. This one built by Saint Theudère at the 6th century is only ruins towards the end of the 9th century. At the same time, the Champagne is devastated by the Norman barbarians; the monks of Montier-in-DER in Haute-Marne, fleeing their destroyed monastery, plundering and the massacres, took refuge in Vienna. Arrived in this city, the Aldaric Abbot who leads them, goes near the Barnoin archbishop to ask him for assistance. It is agreed between them that they would settle in the dilapidated and given up monastery which sheltered the disciples of Theudère Saint, authorizing the new monks to carry out a cenobitic life while following the Rule of Saint Benoit. The monks of Montier-in-DER installed in the ruins will find the resources required for the repair of the buildings but also will build at the 11th century, eighty churches and priories in the Viennese, of which Priory of Chirens. After the Revolution, the priory is affected with the commune of Chirens. The church is closed then reopened at the time of the Legal settlement, it becomes parish church until the construction of the new church of Chirens in 1889. In 1893, the priory is bought by a chirennoise family and is lent to the parish which uses it as room of patronage. In 1962, the priory of Chirens is acquired by Roger Lorin, painter and professor of drawing of art to the Technical school of State de Voiron. He is at the origin of the rescue operation of the monument, in which he made take part his pupils. This company of great scale became the gasoline even of its life. A decree of March 26th, 1973 of the Ministry for the Cultural Affairs classifies among the historic buildings, the totality of the church of the old priory Benedictine as well as the murals of the 17th century and the inscriptions engraved. Roger Lorin gave to this monument a different life centered on painting and the music but which is not less one spiritual form of life to which the presence of these almost thousand-year-old stones gives a particular direction.

Structure

Almost all the churches bénédictines of high time had in the beginning three apses, with the image of abbey of Cluny II. Chirens does not derogate from this rule. The Romance apses of Voironnais were not preserved, that of Chirens is the exception. Semi-elliptic, the apse opens on the nave by a large triumphal arch in semicircular arch resting on two pillars decorated with Romance capitals. The bases of these columns are square and form the angles of a semicircular bench on which four columns less imposing rise than the two first, which rythment chorus. The frescos of the painter François Chambon (1641-1720) can be dated from the end of the 17th century according to a price-fact of August 23rd, 1686 in front of Maître François Philips, notary with Chirens.

Frescos

Thirteen characters are represented. All, except Saint Augustin, are placed on two superimposed registers. Saint Augustin is painted, as for him, on the register of prédicant in pulpit. The groups of characters corresponding to the various vaults or foundations of the church, are separated by architectural elements like surbased vaults or by vegetable planks. Inside these frameworks, the Saint to which the vault is dedicated always looks at the assistance, while even is looked him by patron saint of dédicant, painted at side or in top.

Festival of chamber music

Exposures

House of ceramics The craft industry potter was extremely important in Isere. We will quote the workshops of Sharp, Grenoble, Albenc and of course Chirens. The rise of the potteries of Chirens dates Des. Several families knew various fortunes. Sailor, Bardin Prior, Martel, Guillermas, Reynaud-Dulaurier, potters mentioned since 1846 and Pêcheur from which the potteries of the Carthusian monks disappeared about 1980. The exposure presents this year of works of the Reynaud-Dulaurier workshop of 1845 to 1980 and of the workshop Pêcheur an important collection of the potteries of the Carthusian monks as well as a jug of “ the Alimentaire Pension; ”. The Rule of Saint Benoit and the civilizing work of the monks to the Middle Ages and origins of the Christian monachism.

The church of Chirens

It is not a historic building because recent; it is nevertheless important because of the conflict which opposed the inhabitants of Chirens at the end of the 19th century and which was at the origin of its construction. The inhabitants of the North of the commune of Chirens, then decided to build another place of worship because the Priory was too far from them. A scission is formed between the parishioners of the North and the South of the parish. Incidents occur in the commune and this place of worship is closed. Finally, the prefect and the bishop of Grenoble arranged the situation by building a new church, more central. Its construction finished in 1889 and in 1955, the commune electrifies the ringings of the bells and makes pose an electric clock.

Geography

Chirens is established on a valley refrigerator which was a long time a lake before being gradually filled (towards 5000 av JC).

The marsh

To the exit of the village in direction of the Arsenal, the RN 75 skirts the marshes of Chirens resulting from this glacial period. This site was inventoried in the Site Natura 2000 “ Valley of Ainan ” as “a Alkaline marshes of the Ainan and Bavonne ”. It shelters a particularly important flora and a fauna. One finds protected spaces at the national level indeed there so much vegetable (Spiranthe of summer, the Laîche of the Silts or the Cirse of Montpellier) that animal (Loriot of Europe for example). lynx were seen in the surroundings as well as Loups. The original marsh is also exploited in the forms of meadows or marshy forests.

Education

There is in Chirens:

a nursery school with 3 classes,
an elementary school with 1 class by level,
soon a public college.

Community life

About thirty cultural associations

: the penny of the schools, food with Chirens, friends of the book,…
sporting: balls, tennis, gymnastics, volleyballs, hand,…
various: blood donors, FNACA,…

External bonds

Official site of the commune of Chirens * Festival and Exposures of the Priory of Chirens: * Every year, the Festival Brassens (At the beginning of August) Information with: 04.76.35.26 .20

(http://www.vivreachirens.com/) (http://www.aupresdesonarbre.com/) (http://www.lesamisdegeorges.com/)

Natura Site 2000
Penny of schools of chirens: Penny of schools of chirens
Excursion VTT Crete of the triton: Excursion VTT Crete of the triton
http://cyber.chirens.free.fr/ site perso

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