Anizy-le-Château
Part of Anizy-le-Grand
The Commune church
Coat of arms
Location of Anizy-le-Château
Anizy-le-Château Show map of France Anizy-le-Château Show map of Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 49°30′24″N 3°27′05″E / 49.5067°N 3.4514°E / 49.5067; 3.4514
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Aisne
Arrondissement	Laon
Canton	Laon-1
Commune	Anizy-le-Grand
Area 1	9.49 km2 (3.66 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]	1,961
• Density	210/km2 (540/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	02320
Elevation	52–166 m (171–545 ft) (avg. 70 m or 230 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Anizy-le-Château (French pronunciation: [anizi lə ʃato]) is a former commune in the department of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune of Anizy-le-Grand.^[2]

Geography

Anizy-le-Chateau is located some 40 km south by south-east of Saint Quentin and 20 km south-west of Laon. The commune is accessed by the D5 road from Chivy-les-Etouvelles which passes west through the village then continues north through Brancourt-en-Laonnois. The D14 road comes from Pinon in the south in a north-west direction intersecting the D5 west of the village. Also from Pinon is the D26 which runs north directly to the village. The D265 also comes from Wissignicourt in the north and the D26 runs north-east from the village to Faucoucourt. The town urbane area covers some 15% of the commune with the rest being farmland and a large forest in the south-west.^[3]

The Ailette flows along the southern border of the commune to the west and parallel to the Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne. The Ru du Bordet flows south-west through the commune from Brancourt-en-Laonnois to the Ailette river. There is a network of ponds and reservoirs in the south-east of the commune near the river. The Fosse du Marais forms part of the eastern border of the commune and also flows into the Ailette.^[3]

History

The commune was given by Clovis I to Saint Remi who in turn gave it to the Bishop of Laon. The County was created in 1397 by Charles VI in favour of Jean de Roucy, the Bishop of Laon. These bishops built a mighty castle which was rebuilt in the 16th century by the Cardinal de Bourbon and rebuilt again in the 18th century by Monseigneur de Rochechouart who also paved the whole town.

Heraldry

Arms of Anizy-le-Château

Blazon: Azure, Semé-de-lis of Or debruised by a cross Argent, a crozier in gules surmounted in chief by a small inescutcheon azure with a fleur de lys of Or, over all 2 keys azure saltirewise.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Anizy-le-Château^[4]

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aniziens or Aniziennes in French.^[5]

Sites and Monuments

• The Park is registered as an historical monument.^[8]
• The Church contains three items which are registered as historical objects:
  • A Commemorative plaque of a donation by the Cardinal of Rochechouart (1770)^[9]
  • A Painting: Portrait of Cardinal Rochechouart (1777)^[10]
  • The Tombstone of Claude Allongé, Count of Anizy and recipient of the episcopate. (1724)^[11]

Notable People linked to the commune

• Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
• Geoffroy de Billy, died in Anizy castle

Works by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse

• 
  Woman Playing a Viola da Gamba (Circa 1880-1897)
• 
  Between Two Loves, 1867
• 
  Fantasy Bust (Circa 1865-1870)

See also

• Communes of the Aisne department

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anizy-le-Château.