Mérignat

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

Geography

Merignat, is located on a combe mountain which opens in direction of Poncin, on the northern slope of the solid mass of Chenavel, between Cerdon and Menestruel, with a place approximately of Jujurieu, and looking at the enormous rocks of St Alban.La commune includes part of Courtyard (hamlet of Cerdon): the vault, 6 houses and part of the cardboard factory Dubreuil.Le landscape are varied: a covered space of vines, gardens and orchards, the remainder, more wild, are composed of old pastures surrounded by wood and bordered of rocks abrupt. The vine, with its new plans covers surface more and more. Until 1756, the village was near the main road from Lyon to Geneva, main road 84, by Poncin and Cerdon. It was served by a road which went up of Jujurieux and went down on Cerdon by the day before Roman road from Coriat.

History

Administration

Demography and Economy

in 1726 , there was 300 inhabitants, in 1820 , there was of it 400 and in 1946 , there was 143 inhabitants…

This small village suffered much from rural depopulation since the medium of XIX° century. The crisis of will phylloxera, at the end of last century, then the doubt which settled in the population vigneronne explain the extent of the demographic decline, without speaking about the trade of the fruits now negligible, and which constituted an important source of cash then.

Places and monuments

The dwellings are gathered around the fountain . The streets are narrow broadsides of houses of the polyculteurs - vine growers. Architecture is typical: the cattle shed is next to the cellar, the center of population is on the floor, served by an external staircase.

While arriving at the village by the New Way , is a large house of the XVIII° century, formerly property of notable buildings, the Mathieu. ' (In 1867, it belonged to Mr. Georges Benoit-Mathieu d' Apremont downward of Sieur Georges Mathieu, rider, president of the treasurers from France to Dijon, in 1789. The Mathieu family is one of oldest of Mérignat, because one sees in the Church a small founded and equipped vault, in 1343, by Sieur Antoine Mathieu, prètre-senior of Cerdon, which declares in the constitutive instrument that its family has been owner with Merignat for more than 500 years, and that it placed this vault under the term of St Antoine and co. Anne) Extrait from the book: Valleys of Bugey by the Baron Achille Raverat in 1867, information erroneous according to the booklet: Merignat and its church)

the ruins of Château' seigneurial are drawn up on a piton in a property, at the exit of village. Formerly, it comprised four turns. Only one of them is preserved partly. It was recently restored. , The sight is splendid on the valley of Cerdon and the mountains of Bugey.

the hard rise of Coriat leads to the top of a nipple. There, in the middle of the vines, a noble manor of the Middle Ages emerged. It was built in 1302 by Humbert de Chatard, Four grosses towers square, projecting, strongly reinflated at their base, connected between them by thick curtains, and laid out in regular quadrilateral, ditches around, only one entry with drawbridge, near which one arrived by long and narrow lifting of ground, here is the general plan of this manor, plan that it was easy to us to restore, according to the lying vestiges in the interior and in the neighborhoods of the ground full on which it trônait as a sovereign. All disappeared under the blow from these revolutions which too often devastated only the region. Enormous protuberances and long slopes covered with grass and undergrowth indicate the site of the turns and the curtains. Only, the tower of south-west raises encor in space two immense sides of wall, which seem there like an alive curse against the savages troops of Vergy and Biron, at the same time as an energetic protest against Mr. mayor of Mérigniat which, by measurement of precaution St of precaution, wants to make carry out their complete demolition due to public safety… And, it should well be acknowledged, this ruin, the ornament of Mérigniat which, without it, would be only one vulgar slope of vine, threatens to collapse on the artist which comes to visit it, and on the vine growers who work in the neighborhoods. Each storm removes a stone of its top which is notched more and more. (Extracted the book: Valleys of Bugey by the Baron Achille Raverat in 1867)

THE WAR MEMORIAL: The construction of a war memorial 1914 1918 was preceded by creation by a public place. What will become the Place of the Monument, (renamed on November 11th, 2007: Place Jean Besancon), was occupied by gardens. They belonged to Mr. Jean DUBREIL, Me widowed FRAMINET, Mr. François TROLLIET, and with Me widowed BOLLIET. A contract of construction was signed between Mr. Jules RENARDAT- ANNOYS (mayor of the commune) and Mr. MONK, (director of the Co-operative of the' UNION OF the WORKERS OF the PIERRE AND the MARBLE) in April 1924 . The reception of work took place in May. On this stone monument of Comblanchien, inscriptions gavées and painted in ancient red. Onpeut to read there the name of the inhabitants of the common death during the war 1914-1918: BOLLIET Francois, DUBREUIL Claudius, DUTILLET Paul, EVRAT Marius, RAVET Jules, RENARDAT Lucien, RENARDAT - ANNOY, Leon, ROCHERET Marius, SOIGNAT François

the legend of the VAULT OF COURTYARD : A willow ombrageait the meadow; but it obstructed the accesses of a rustic dwelling. One desired to cut down it; with the first blow of axe, the peasant saw blood running along the tree, and heard moanings leave the interior. The wormeaten trunk delivered passage to the statue of the Blessed Virgin, holding in her arms it divino bambono. This one extended its small hands towards the lout who, very lost, had fallen to knees. One built a vault years this place devoted; and thanks to the favors which one reports in return abundant alms, grace especially to the special virtue allotted to Virgin-Black to dissipate any feeling of fright, either in the timorous children, or even to large the person, of the processions of pilgrims run there by far, on September 8th of each year. A characteristic, that we did not oseé to deepen, it is that the statute represents a beautiful Negress; the denomination comes from vault of theBlack one. Another also mysterious characteristic: in spite of locks, bolt and iron bars, the vault cannot remain closed; that explains why in front of the entry one sees only one simple barrier with open-type screen, opened to all coming.

Personalities related to the commune

On the steps of the FATHER HAKE - founder of the Fathers Marists

Born on August 7th, 1790, equipped since its more young age of a piety which results in a solid devotion mariale, it enters in 1804 to the small seminar. It is on the same bench as the priest of Ars.

In 1815, Jean-Claude Colin is with the great seminar of Lyon with some Jean-Claude Courveille, initiator of the Marists, with whom it enters thoroughly the project. Then, on July 22nd, 1816, Jean-Claude Colin is ordered prètre. Named vicar with Cerdon the 1° August 1816, it is from here the realization will leave the project of the Marists of Jean-Claude Courveille. Supported by the presence of the Virgin, the Father Hake will become the Founder, but it will take him eight years to make it accept. In the month of July 1823, the Father Hake leaves for Belley to meet his Bishop. But hardly left, on the way of Corriaz , it is taken of a great discouragement, tried to give up this voyage. Once again, Marie will come to comfort it and will support it during its voyage. It will return from there with the agreement of the Bishop to found “the Company of Marie” whose members will be called MARISTS. it is there that the oratory of Corriaz was to build

Front Unknown, unknown afterwards, here is all my history… FATHER HAKE

Homage to Jean BESANCON In his deliberation of October 4th, 2007, the municipal council unanimously decided to honor one managed deserving in the person with Jean BESANCON. The municipal team in place benefits from her last official exit this day of the 11 November 2007 to add this demonstration of sympathy to it. How to thank somebody who gave so much to his fellow-citizens, a diploma? a medal? not whole that, we chose to rename the place of the monument “place Jean BESANCON”  Indeed this place is a little his, and for a long time it will keep us the memory of a man come from a common neighbor, to marry a girl of the village and which chose to make its life there, with the great happiness of the inhabitants of the commune. It began its activities within the community as city council man from April 26th, 1953 to November 2nd, 1958 meanwhile it took new functions and occupied the pastoral guardroom of January 26th, 1956 until March 1989 goes back to its departure to the retirement. He took up his duties of rural policeman good beyond his attributions, and the services rendered to the population were innumerable. Its direction of the duty, its direction of the friendship, its good sense very short ally with an overflowing humor makes of him a character impossible to circumvent of the life at the village. It makes party of those which naturally generate sympathy, good mood, which is rassembleurs qualities essential to the joint life. At the first day of its retirement of rural policeman, the desire for being useful had not left it, it is invested again like assistant of the Mayor for a mandate of 1989 to 1995 and the whole of the community could profit from its great experiment of the ground, of its lit councils, its perfect knowledge of the men and things was useful by an acute sense of the observation. The purpose of this demonstration is not to honor the memory with Jean BESANCON but to thank it well for services rendered to the community, and for sound living in addition, which will perhaps enable us to still record a witty remark and especially to clink glasses all together with its health. Mérignat on November 11th, 2007 A.BALIVET

See too

Common of Ain

External bonds

Mérignat on the site of the national geographical Institute
Mérignat on the site of INSEE
Mérignat on the site of Quid
Localization of Mérignat on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Mérignat on Mapquest

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