Holy-cross (Ain)

History

The territory of Holy-Cross, taken in fork between two Roman ways leading one of Montluel to Besancon (while passing by Jailleux and Villars), the other of Montluel to Geneva (while skirting the Coastal one), but not crossed by them, however does not present a trace of Roman establishment or prémédiévale.

The original settlements seem to be made around a vault or safe from a small medieval fortress. Indeed, the first historical quotation of Holy-Cross is in a bubble of the pope Lucius III, by whom his parish was confirmed with the abbey of the Island Beard (close to Lyon) in 1183. From a civil point of view, the seigniory of Holy-Cross seems to have belonged to the lords de Montluel during most of the thirteenth century, according to the historians Guichenon and Guigue.

In 1281, the castle (which was already built but was modified much since) passed to Hugues Palatin (originating in Riottiers). In 1325, house-strong (which seems distinct from the castle and whose one is unaware of the site) was destroyed by the troops of the dolphin of the Viennese in war against the lords de Beaujeu, suzerains of the places. About 1370, Holy-Cross appears as seigniory of a branch of the family of Ars (Guichard then Agnès). Dying without child, Agnès d' Ars bequeathed her properties about 1406 to a relationship, Philiberte de Corent, marries of Antoine of the Borough. Holy-cross remained with the family of the Borough until 1524 then arrived by alliance at the Savoyard family of Forest which preserved it on three generations. A fast succession of sales made pass the seigniory to a “citizen of Lyon”, Justinian Panse, then in “Italian gentilhommes”, François and Mario de Turetin to which the heirs made deal with Guy or Christophe of Believed about 1650.

It is of this time that date the first small study sociological of the village, thanks to the work of the Bouchu intendant. In addition to the possessions of the easiest people (four fields, two tileries, a mill, a pond and a noble revenue), one reads there in particular that it “made no trade there, that tilling” and that “there are approximately 40 families which make 200 communicants, the poor except for two”.

The family of Risings remained with Holy-Cross until the Revolution. Its last lord, Pierre-François Dubreuil de Crues, was guillotine in Lyon in 1793. Under its reign, the state of the population hardly varied, as the second historical “inventory of fixtures testifies some” to the village, that of J.B. Riboud (1786), which wrote: “the noble owners acquired much and extended their possessions” (they have four-fifths of the funds) but “the inhabitants are poor” and “there are communal”. P.F. Dubreuil de Crues had, as for him, “six fields, a mill, a tilery, full meadows, quantity of wood coppice, a noble, house-strong revenue and accessories”.

In 1828, the successors of Dubreuil de Crues sold all their properties to the brothers Crozier, middle-class man Lyons, to which the heirs, conservatives and catholics, will dominate the municipalities until 1929, with rare republican intervals, very animated because badly accepted by the precedents…

Primary sources: - GUICHENON. History of the Bresse and Bugey. 1650. - BOUCHU. Declaration of the goods of the communes of Bresse. 1665-70. - Cartulaire of the abbey of Savigny. 1853. - DEBOMBOURG. Historic atlas of the department of Ain. 1860. - GUIGUE. Historical topography of Ain. 1873. - RIBOUD. Notes on the countries of Bresse. 1886.

Inheritance

From a civil point of view, the castle, acquired in 1967 by the work's council of E.D.F., is the construction whose origin is oldest (it was built before 1281). However, it was altered much on several occasions, This building, formerly of form square and made red bricks, like several castles of Dombes, underwent at least two severe rehandlings in its history. At the XIXe century initially, the Crozier brothers destroyed a wing and a round tower, which made him lose a certain similarity with the castle of Bouligneux. In 1995, the owner disfigured what had become a pretty holiday of 19th to make a restaurant of it. The only still visible interesting part is the square tower of reception with its pretty archères in the shape of cross. It would be desirable that the occupant does all to preserve it.

The common one counts two old mills, private thus nonworth visiting, which preserved their wheel and, for one of them its glacis: the mill of Vernes (probably oldest: at least 1760 according to the chart of Cassini, and perhaps 1650 according to Guichenon) and, with some steps of the church, the mill of Combe (close to the church; at least 1828).

An esthetics building, private also and located to him at the end of the road which faces the war memorial, sheltered the school and the town hall at the XIXe century at glorious times of the republican school of Jules Ferry. The spout well (1888) which faces him is a witness of the public policy hygienist of the end of the XIXe century in Dombes considered as unhealthy because of its ponds and marsh. The current town hall and the school go back to 1903.

Lastly, a group of voluntary of the Tourist office completed in 2004 the pretty market out of wooden which is next to the church.

From a religious point of view, the current church goes back to 1888. Of style neogothic, it shelters in particular two stoups, of which one goes back to 1650, of elegant stalls out of wooden of oak and two great oil-base paints on strengthened fabric. Its stained glasses were entirely restored in 1997.

The construction of this church coincided with the destruction of old of which there remains only the vault probably dating from XVIe century (perhaps 1565). This vault is in the old cemetery which was installed on the foundations of the church of origin. The elegant porch of the latter was preserved and placed at the entry of the vault. The interior comprises some architectural elements degraded well, but not restored because of the poverty of the commune which however protected the whole by putting it out of air and water in 1990. The tombstone of Camille de Crues gives the genealogy of the last seigneuriale family of Holy-Cross. It was classified on the inventory of the historic buildings in 1920. One can also observe a Gothic window with mullions, an intersecting ribs falling down on four very damaged pendants, of the remainders of frescos and one liter seigneuriale to the weapons of Risings, as well as a liturgical Piscine rebirth overcome by a death's-head. One can sometimes visit the church and the vault at the time of the days of the inheritance.

Sources: - Already quoted historical Sources. - Plans dating from the XIXe century. - Chart of Cassini (approximately 1758). - Préinventaire of the inheritance of the canton of Montluel. - Articles of Colette Messaz in various municipal bulletins.

Geography

The borough settled with the hollow of the small valley of Serene, impetuous river resulting from many torrents and the flow of the ponds of Dombes. This river notched the plate of Dombes perpendicular to its coastal south. The two plates comprise isolated cultures, farms and dwellings. The grounds are very argillaceous. Wood cover 30% of entire surface. The ponds all were almost drained (one counted thirteen in 1863 of them).

Administration

Economy and demography

The commune was primarily rural until the middle of the XXe century. The only nonagricultural trades were the trades of subsistence and services: miller, tile maker, sabot-maker, marshal-shoeing, grocer, café owner. At the XIXe century however, young people had started to work for manufactures of Montluel. Like the majority of the rural communes, Holy-Cross saw its population melting until 1975 (408 inhabitants in 1896,303 in 1926,226 in 1946,169 in 1975). In front of the threats of closing of its school, the municipality authorized the progressive installation of some allotments.

There remains less than one ten hearths of farmers (9% of the active population). They often accompany their agricultural tasks by additional services: rooms of hosts, breeding and guarding of horses, breeding and sale of poultries, work landscape, truck farming,… In addition to three restorers and some craftsmen of the building (carcass work heavy castings, decoration, restoration, cabinetwork), the other residents work in the close area, to Lyon even further: the census of 1999 counted among the credits 27% of employees, 25% of workmen, 25% of intermediate occupations, 12% of frameworks and comparable. The commune financially is equipped with the canton, but its membership of the community of communes of Montluel gives to him access to sporting and cultural installations of suitable scale.

Sources:

Registers of registry office.
I.N.S.E.E

Tourism

A two hours hiking, combining landscapes and observation of the inheritance, can leave the market and the church.

After having taken the road of Montluel until the old one restoring Hunters, one goes up then to the cemetery which shelters the vault. After an external visit, one takes cemetery on the left the stony way of Cassière which leads to a small asphalt road on the plate is. At the end of 200 meters, to follow the rise on the right, then still on the right to observe the old tower of the castle, since the entry of the field of the CCAS, and more closely if the persons in charge, always sympathetic nerves, grant the passage to you, except period of colonies.

One returns in opposite direction on the road of the castle and one prolongs it for a descent towards the pond of Boot, not always out of water, but often populated few waders and mallards. On the level of the ancestral mulberry tree of the small crossroads with the road of Pizay, one takes the small road on the left which skirts some houses, then on the left still for a few hundred meters on a way calms bordered of cultures. One arrives at the stone cross, with the locality the Tilery, whose altered building is observable road and who was probably used as brick supplier with the castle. Then one descends a sinuous road (beware of the traffic, go on the left) formerly called the “Hollow dollens”, because the inhabitants buried there the victims of the plague at the tormented periods.

One returns to the village, with his bar-restaurants with the enticing, known menus to Lyon and abroad. A small turning by the Serene one can be made thanks to the kindness of the inhabitants of the “allotment of the pond”, which is private.

Return to the church, while passing in front of old work to shoe oxen installed in front of the town hall. While setting out again of the market, one can still go to throw a glance, beyond the bridge on the Serene one, with the wheel preserved of the mill of Combe (one will not penetrate in the private court) then at the end of the road at the building which was used of town hall and school at the XIXe century and the spout well of 1888.

Lodgings are possible, either with the hotel “On our premises” of Pierre Vincent, restorer highly skilled of Dombes, or in the very neat rooms of hosts of the pleasant Bertrand family, on the western plate. Appreciable also are savors, of Provence in summer and more dombists in winter, of the kitchen of Sebastien Martel, chief of the restaurant “the Fountain”.

See too

List of the Common of Ain
List of churches with liturgical swimming pool

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