Paray-le-Monial

Paray-le-Monial [pa.ʁɛ.lə.mɔn.jal] is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Since 2004 is Paray-le-Monial part of the Charolais-Brionnais Country.[2]

Paray-le-Monial
Commune
Hôtel de Ville in Paray-le-Monial
Coat of arms
Location of Paray-le-Monial
Paray-le-Monial
Paray-le-Monial
Coordinates: 46°27′07″N 4°07′13″E
CountryFrance
RegionBourgogne-Franche-Comté
DepartmentSaône-et-Loire
ArrondissementCharolles
CantonParay-le-Monial
IntercommunalityParay-le-Monial
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Jean-Marc Nesme
Area
1
25.20 km2 (9.73 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
9,189
 • Density360/km2 (940/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
71342 /71600
Elevation234–304 m (768–997 ft)
(avg. 245 m or 804 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is nicknamed the "city of the Sacred Heart" and its inhabitants are called Parodiens and Parodiennes.

Geography

Paray-le-Monial is located in the southwest of the Saône-et-Loire Département, in the heart of the Charolais countryside, in a plain bounded by the Brionnais upland, the rivers Loire, l'Arroux and the Bourbince.

The roughly parallel Bourbince River and the canal du Centre traverse the city from the southeast to the northwest.

Among the elements that form the city, as it has developed over its history, are the upland near the Bourbince River, the priory and basilica, a rectangular town center with very dense housing, national highway N79, which crosses the Bourbince River east and west of the town center, a newer part of town located north of the town center, the Bellevue residential area to the southwest, and several suburbs.[3]

History

Paray (Paredum; Parodium) existed before the monks who gave it its surname of Le Monial, for when Count Lambert of Chalon, together with his wife Adelaide and his friend Mayeul de Cluny, founded there in 973 the celebrated Benedictine priory,[4] the borough had already been constituted, with its ædiles and communal privileges. At that time an ancient temple was dedicated to the Mother of God (Charter of Paray). The Cluny monks were, 999–1789, lords of the town.

Main sights
Main article: Tourism in Saône-et-Loire, South Burgundy
Basilica of Paray-le-Monial
Saint Nicolas' tower
Cloister

The town is mainly known for its Romanesque church of the Sacré-Coeur ("Sacred Heart") and as a place of pilgrimage. It was built from the 12th century as a small-scale version of the Abbey of Cluny. It was finished in the 14th century, while the cloister dates to the 18th century.

The Hôtel de Ville, in Renaissance style, is also one of the historical monuments.

Another major building in Paray-le-Monial, is Saint Nicolas' tower, built during the 16th century, which hosts different exhibitions but mainly mosaic exhibitions.

Economy

The area's primary industry is agriculture in particular beef cattle farming. The area is known for its charolais cattle.

Notable people

Twin towns - Sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Paray-le-Monial is twinned with:

Tourism

In the Southern Bourgogne-Franche-Comté area, you can see :

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. http://www.charolais-brionnais.fr
  3. Michel Bouillot, « Contribution à l'étude des plans des villes clunisiennes », article paru dans Mélanges d'histoire et d'archéologie offerts au professeur Kenneth John Conant par l'association Splendide Bourgogne, Éditions Bourgogne-Rhône-Alpes, Mâcon, 1977, pp 173-204.
  4. Bouchard 2015, p. 265.
  5. "Bethlehem Municipality". www.bethlehem-city.org. Archived from the original on 2010-07-24. Retrieved 2009-10-10.

Sources
  • Bouchard, Constance Brittain (2015). Rewriting Saints and Ancestors: Memory and Forgetting in France, 500-1200. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Paray-le-Monial" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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