Ainay-le-Château
Commune
Town hall
Town hall
Coat of arms of Ainay-le-Château
Coat of arms
Location of Ainay-le-Château
Ainay-le-Château is located in France
Ainay-le-Château
Ainay-le-Château
Ainay-le-Château is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Ainay-le-Château
Ainay-le-Château
Coordinates: 46°42′43″N 2°41′36″E / 46.7119°N 2.6933°E / 46.7119; 2.6933
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentAllier
ArrondissementMontluçon
CantonBourbon-l'Archambault
IntercommunalityCC du Pays de Tronçais
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Stéphane Milaveau[1]
Area
1
24.07 km2 (9.29 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2021)[2]
984
 • Density41/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
03003 /03360
Elevation184–252 m (604–827 ft)
(avg. 208 m or 682 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Ainay-le-Château (French pronunciation: [ɛnɛ l(ə) ʃɑto]) is a commune in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Castelainaisiens or Castelainaisiennes.[3]

Geography

Ainay-le-Château is located some 55 kilometres (34 mi) south-east of Bourges and 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-west of Nevers. The northern border of the commune is the departmental boundary with Cher and the regional boundary with the Centre-Val de Loire region. Access to the commune is by D951 road from Thaumiers in the north which passes through the town and continues south to Cérilly. The D951 from Charenton-du-Cher in the north-west to Bessais-le-Fromental in the north-east passes through the north of the commune. The D28 comes from Braize in the south-west to the town then continues north to join the D951. The D64 goes east from the town to Valigny. There are several country roads in the commune linking the villages and hamlets inside. These include Le Castinerie, Salvert, La Bete, Saint-Benin, Charnoux, La Moullin de la Riviere, and L'Amour.[4]

The town is traversed by the Marmande river, a tributary of the Cher; and the Sologne river, which feeds into the Marmande. The village overlooks the right bank of the Sologne. There are a number of small lakes at the heads of the streams to the east of the town. On the left bank, the suburb of Mandais is covers both sides of the road from Bourges and the border with the department of Cher passes within 300 metres (980 ft) of the bridge.

The commune is bordered by the Forest of Tronçais to the south with a small portion of the forest in the commune called Taillis de Pontcharaud.

Neighboring Communes and Villages

[4]

History

Ainay-le-Chateau is a medieval town, one of the seventeen Châtelainies of the Dukes of Bourbon. The city was enclosed by walls and a castle stood around the church of Saint-Stephen.

During the French Revolution, the town took the name of Ainay-sur-Sologne.[5]

The former parish and commune of Saint-Benin was reunited with Ainay-le-Château in 1842 and is today a village east of the town. Saint-Benin carried the Charnoux at the time of the French Revolution.[6]

Home for people with psychiatric disorders

The town is home for a hospital which runs foster homes for the mentally ill. There are many of those foster homes in the commune and in the surrounding ones. Thus, these people are very well accepted, which allows them to live in optimal conditions. Because of this particular, the town has been featured on TF1 in the program Sept à huit (Seven to Eight) on 31 January 2010 (retransmitted on 21 April 2013), as well as in the program la Fabrique de l'Histoire (Fabric of History) on France Culture on 7 December 2010.[7]

Heraldry

Arms of Ainay-le-Château
Arms of Ainay-le-Château
 Blazon:

Argent, 3 Palls of sable 2 and 1.



Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Ainay-le-Château[8]

FromToNamePartyPosition
1614Charles Perrot
19351935François Naudin
19351942Jacques Lablonde
19591971Brunet
19711989Jacques Soulat
19891995Dupre
19952008Pierre Dumas
2008[9]CurrentStéphane Milaveau[10]DVD

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,613—    
1975 1,552−0.55%
1982 1,544−0.07%
1990 1,458−0.71%
1999 1,165−2.46%
2007 1,107−0.64%
2012 1,021−1.60%
2017 994−0.53%
Source: INSEE[11]

Economy

In February 2010, according to the commercial register, Ainay-le-Château had 76 companies registered in the commune. There are 61 Real estate and other companies with their headquarters in the town.

Most of them engage in craft activities, shops and services nearby. Since 2005 there have been from 2 to 6 new company registrations per year.

Three different bank branches are available in Town: La Banque Postale, the Banque Populaire, and Crédit Agricole Centre France.

A local specialty is goat cheese.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:

  • A Public Park[12]
  • The Urban area Fortifications (15th century)[13] The fortifications include the Clock Gate and the enclosure with towers and walls.

Religious heritage

  • The Church of Saint Etienne (12th century). is registered as an historical monument.[14] The Church has a Renaissance doorway and an old porch from the 12th century. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
    • A Tombstone (1534)[15]
    • A Tombstone (15th century)[16]
    • A Cross: Christ on the Cross (17th century)[17]
    • A Tabernacle with a canopy (17th century)[18]
    • A Statue: Saint Francis (17th century)[19]
    • A Statue: Virgin and Child (17th century)[20]
    • A Group Sculpture: Virgin of Pity (16th century)[21]
    • A Bas-relief: The House of Lorette (16th century)[22]
  • The Chapel of Saint-Roch contains a Statue: Saint Fiacre (17th century) which is registered as an historical object.[23]

Ainay-le-Château in culture

In autumn 2005 Ainay-le-Château was the location of many of the scenes in Michou d'Auber, a film by Thomas Gilou released in 2007, with Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye, and Mathieu Amalric acting.

Notable People linked to the commune

See also

Bibliography

  • Henry Grozieux of Laguérenne, Ainay-le-Château in Bourbonnais, a history of the town and lordship from the beginning to the present day, Paris, H. Champion, 1912, 2 vols. in-8vo, fig., pl. and plans; repr. Yzeure, Imprimeries réunies, 1987, Vol. 1, 790 p.
  • René Prophète, Ainay-le-Château - Visit to the church and the town, Les Imprimeries Réunies Réveret & Ardillon, Moulins, 1987.

References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Ainay-le-Château (03360)". habitants.fr (in French). SARL Patagos. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 Google Maps
  5. ↑ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Ainay-le-Château, EHESS (in French).
  6. ↑ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Saint-Benin, EHESS (in French).
  7. ↑ France Culture 7 Dec 2010 (in French)
  8. ↑ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  9. ↑ Re-elected in 2014: "Liste nominative des communes de l'Allier (avec maire, arrondissement et canton)" [Nominative list of communes of Allier (with mayor, arrondissement and canton)] (PDF). Association of Mayors and Presidents of Communities of Allier. 1 April 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Liste nominative des communes de l'Allier" [Nominative list of communes of Allier] (PDF). maires-allier.fr (in French). Association of Mayors and Presidents of Communities of Allier. 8 July 2020. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  11. ↑ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  12. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA03000185 Public Park (in French)
  13. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00092971 Urban Area Fortifications (in French)
  14. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00092970 Church of Saint Etienne (in French)
  15. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000009 Tombstone (in French)
  16. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000008 Tombstone (in French)
  17. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000007 Cross: Christ on the Cross (in French)
  18. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000006 Tabernacle with canopy (in French)
  19. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000005 Statue: Saint Francis (in French)
  20. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000004 Statue: Virgin and child (in French)
  21. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000003 Group Sculpture: Virgin of Pity (in French)
  22. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000002 Bas-relief: The House of Lorette (in French)
  23. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM03000010 Statue: Saint Fiacre (in French)
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