Espinasse, Puy-de-Dôme

Espinasse (French pronunciation: [ɛspinas]; Occitan: Espinassa) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. Small farming village in the Pays of Combrailles, in the canton of Saint-Éloy-les-Mines, the village is nestled in a hollow, about nine kilometers west of the town of Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne.

Espinasse
The church in Espinasse
The church in Espinasse
Location of Espinasse
Map
Espinasse is located in France
Espinasse
Espinasse
Espinasse is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Espinasse
Espinasse
Coordinates: 46°02′19″N 2°42′43″E / 46.0386°N 2.7119°E / 46.0386; 2.7119
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentPuy-de-Dôme
ArrondissementRiom
CantonSaint-Éloy-les-Mines
IntercommunalityCC Pays de Saint-Éloy
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Michel Bancarel[1]
Area
1
23.95 km2 (9.25 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
282
 • Density12/km2 (30/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
63152 /63390
Elevation598–774 m (1,962–2,539 ft)
(avg. 680 m or 2,230 ft)
Websitewww.espinasse63.com
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

During the Middle Ages and the Early modern period, the region of Combrailles was of paramount importance at territorial level because it was located at the crossroads of several lordships (Bourbonnais, Auvergne and Limousin). Therefore, the town of Espinasse suffered this proximity and was divided into fiefs belonging among others to the House of Le Loup, the House of Montmorency and the House of La Fayette.

Geography

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Espinasse is located some 30 km west of Combronde and 23 km north-west of Bromont-Lamothe. Access to the commune is by the D 13 from Charensat in the south-west which passes through the commune and the village before continuing north to Pionsat. The D 62 comes from Saint-Priest-des-Champs in the south-east. The D 18 comes from Saint-Julien-la-Geneste in the north-east. The D 528 comes from Bussières in the north-west. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.[3]

Neighbouring communes and villages

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Source:[4]

Administration

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Espinasse Town Hall
List of Successive Mayors since 1800[5]
From To Name
1800 1808 Gilbert Gory
1808 1813 Annet Lecuyer
1813 1815 Jean-Joseph Boutarel
1815 1816 Paul Sanne
1816 1818 Amable Nouhen
1819 1830 Charles Marien Baron
1830 1840 Claude Fribaud
1840 1849 Charles Marien Baron
1849 1875 Frédéric Gory
1875 1877 Marien Martin
1877 1885 Jean Chabry
1885 1889 Marien Lecuyer
1889 1893 François Carton
1893 1895 Gilbert Martin
1895 1904 Etienne Gory
1904 1912 Annet Charvillat
1912 1944 Eugène Charvillat
1944 1959 Michel Carte
1959 1975 Roger Laroche
1975 2005 François Gardet
2005 2020 Marc Gidel
2020 2026 Michel Bancarel

Demography

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The inhabitants of the commune are known as Espinassois or Espinassoises in French.[6]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 837—    
1800 823−0.24%
1806 735−1.87%
1821 1,021+2.22%
1831 1,025+0.04%
1836 1,018−0.14%
1841 1,124+2.00%
1846 1,200+1.32%
1851 1,182−0.30%
1856 1,152−0.51%
1861 1,156+0.07%
1866 1,082−1.31%
1872 1,082+0.00%
1876 1,117+0.80%
1881 1,139+0.39%
1886 1,191+0.90%
1891 1,220+0.48%
1896 1,105−1.96%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 1,157+0.92%
1906 1,024−2.41%
1911 974−1.00%
1921 952−0.23%
1926 903−1.05%
1931 771−3.11%
1936 739−0.84%
1946 633−1.54%
1954 593−0.81%
1962 543−1.10%
1968 507−1.14%
1975 411−2.95%
1982 355−2.07%
1990 274−3.19%
1999 285+0.44%
2007 320+1.46%
2012 297−1.48%
2017 294−0.20%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE[8]

Culture and heritage

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Cultural events and festivities

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The Hay Fest (La Fête des Foins in French) is the main festival in the village since 1998. It takes place in July.

Tourist monuments and places

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  • The Church of St. Martin, very old, is partly Romanesque but was changed to the 2nd Gothic era. A statuary element painted white stone shows St. Margaret of Antioch slaying the dragon. It dates from the fifteenth century. Saint Martin is the patron of the parish but is also under the protection of Saint Gal, second patron.
  • The local school, completed in 1900, was also a town hall. The building was called Mairie-École at the time.
  • The Résistance site at Cacherat - Camp Gabriel Peri - which received on 23 October 1943, one of the two groups of escapees from the prison of Le Puy-en-Velay.
  • The Château of Pierrebrune, dating from the thirteenth century, rebuilt to modern, was the residence of the lords of Espinasse. In June 1440 during the Praguerie, King Charles VII, who came from Auzances and went to Montaigut-en-Combraille, passed through Pierrebrune.
  • The War Memorial in front of the church.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Google Maps
  4. ^ Géoportail, IGN (in French)
  5. ^ List of Mayors of Espinasse (in French)
  6. ^ Le nom des habitants du 63 - Puy-de-Dôme, habitants.fr
  7. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Espinasse, EHESS (in French).
  8. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
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