the Charity-on-Loire is a common French, located in the department of the Nievre and the area of Burgundy. The inhabitants of the Charity-on-Loire are called the charitois .

Geography

The city is located on the the Loire at 25 km at the north of Nevers and 53 km at the east of Bourges, with the intersection of RN 151 and the A77.

Historically located at the limits of Burgundy and the Berry, the monastic city is located on “the Ways of Saint-Jacques-with-Compostelle”, on It Via Lemovicensis, cultural route of the the Council of Europe.

The hamlet of Gérigny also forms part of the commune.

History

The Middle Ages

  • 11th century (1059): construction of a priory and two churches protected by ramparts.

  • 1429 : Jeanne d' Arc tries to take again the city, on the orders of Charles {{VII}}.

Rebirth

In the Years 1530 and following, the population of the Charity-on-Loire converts with the Protestantisme, to be mainly huguenote at the beginning of the wars of religion. Strategic crossing point on the Loire, it is the object of many attacks during the wars of religion.

1559: A fire devastates the monastic city.

In 1570, the Peace of Saint-Germain, signed between the king Charles IX and the admiral Gaspard de Coligny, grants the Protestants four fortified towns: La Rochelle, Cognac, Montauban and the Charity-on-Loire.

The news of the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre reaches the city as of the evening of August 24th. It causes a repetition of the massacre immediately.

In 1576, the city is taken again by the brother of the king, the duke of Anjou, almost without combat.

XIXe century at our days

  • 1840 : Prosper Mérimée saves the cloister and the two churches promoted with a destruction for the passage of a road.

  • 1986 : The August 16th 1986 a Tornado of standard F3, crosses the city. On its trajectory, the damage was very important on the level of the dwellings and the trees. One will call during some time the Charity-on-Loire like " the city with the roofs bleus" because them covers to protect the torn off roofs. A person found death during this catastrophe.
  • 1998 : The Notre-Dame church declared inheritance of UNESCO.

By its historical heritage, the city adheres to the Federation of the sites clunisiens.

Administration

|- | align=right| March 2001 || || Gaëtan Gorce || PS || Deputy Mayor ||

Economy

  • Hospital Specialized

  • Mechanical engineering

Charity: City of the Book

With beginning of the year 90, Christian Valleriaux, bookseller in Paris decide to come to settle with Charity. It creates in 1996 a fair of the old book. Then with the image of what was made with Hay-one-Wye with the Wales, the idea is to make of the Charity-on-Loire a city of the book. Since a dozen booksellers settled in a historical downtown area, deserted by the trade, as some craftsmen of the book: typographers, illuminators, calligraphers, bookbinders and editors. Since the Year 2000, Charity calls itself the Ville of the Book . During the year, several events or fairs of the book are organized:
  • Gone of spring (third Sunday of April)
  • Living room of the artists and craftsmen of the book (third Sunday of May)
  • Festival of the word (mid-June)
  • Fair with the old books and old papers (third Sunday of July)
  • Night of the book (first Saturday of August) associating monthly jazz and books
  • Gone (all third Sundays of March to October)

Demography

Places and monuments


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