Chénérailles

Chénérailles (Cheneralha in occitan) is a commune in the Creuse department in central France.

Chénérailles
Commune
The church in Chénérailles
Coat of arms
Location of Chénérailles
Chénérailles
Chénérailles
Coordinates: 46°06′47″N 2°10′34″E
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentCreuse
ArrondissementAubusson
CantonGouzon
IntercommunalityCC Marche et Combraille en Aquitaine
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Bernard Robin
Area
1
7.77 km2 (3.00 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
760
 • Density98/km2 (250/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
23061 /23130
Elevation487–553 m (1,598–1,814 ft)
(avg. 560 m or 1,840 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

A small town situated at the junction of the D997, D4, D7 and D55 roads, 12 miles to the north of Aubusson, on a hill dominating marshy areas from which rises a tributary of the Voueize.

History
Part of the medieval defences

Originally a fortified stronghold going back to before Roman times, there's plenty of evidence found of Roman occupation too (urns, papryus ashes, coins and medallions of the emperors Maximilian, Gallien, Gordien and Licinius). The city was once surrounded by a strong wall, in the middle of which there was a castle (since destroyed). These days, the site is occupied by the parish church of St Barthélémy. Chénérailles suffered from the wars against the English early in the 15th century, being almost completely destroyed, but Jacques and Bernard of Armagnac, Comtes de la Marche, rebuilt the place between the years 1430 and 1440. The first of these Counts, Jacques, re-confirmed several privileges that had been granted to Chénérailles, in 1265, by Hugues XII of Lusignan. In 1592, towards the end of the French Wars of Religion, the city supported the Catholic League and was besieged for 8 months, only surrendering when they were starved out.

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1962688—    
1968729+6.0%
1975674−7.5%
1982685+1.6%
1990794+15.9%
1999759−4.4%
2008736−3.0%

Sights
  • St. Barthélemy church, dating from the thirteenth century.
  • The nineteenth century chapel of Notre-Dame.
  • The ancient ramparts.

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.