Abbaretz (French pronunciation: [abaʁɛ] ; Gallo: Abarèt, Breton: Abarrez) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in the Pays de la Loire region of western France.
Abbaretz
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Commune | |
Coordinates: 47°33′12″N 1°31′50″W / 47.5533°N 1.5306°W | |
Country | France |
Region | Pays de la Loire |
Department | Loire-Atlantique |
Arrondissement | Châteaubriant-Ancenis |
Canton | Guémené-Penfao |
Intercommunality | Nozay |
Government | |
• Mayor (2023–2026) | Simone Buron[1] |
Area 1 | 61.76 km2 (23.85 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 2,043 |
• Density | 33/km2 (86/sq mi) |
Demonym(s) | Abbarois, Abbaroises |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 44001 /44170 |
Elevation | 26–91 m (85–299 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Geography
editAbbaretz is located 20 km south-west of Châteaubriant and 20 km north-east of Blain. Access to the commune is by the D2 road from Nozay in the west passing through the village and continuing east to La Meilleraye-de-Bretagne. The D1 road comes from Treffieux in the north passing through the village and continuing south. The D35 road comes from Issé in the north-east passing through the village and continuing south-west to Puceul. The D24 road branches from the D1 just south of the village and goes south-east to Joué-sur-Erdre. The D69 road from Issé to Nort-sur-Erdre passes through the east of the commune. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of:[3]
- Les Breils-Clement
- La Chauvelaie
- La Chauvelais
- Le Chene Trouy
- Coulouine
- La Gleminiere
- La Godardais
- La Hazardiere
- Le Houx
- Le Maffay
- La Placiere
- La Rainais
- La Riviere
- Rozay
- Villeneuve
Neighbouring communes
editEtymology
editAbbaretz has been previously known by the following names:
- Abbaretiacum (1123)
- Abbaret (1230)
- Abbarez (1270 and 1278)
- Abbarrez (1341)
- Abbaretz (1456)
- Abbaret (1489)
- La Baretz (1539)
- Abbareium (1650)
- Abbaretz (today).
The name Abbaretz originates from the Gallo language which is the language of Upper Brittany: Abarèt in Gallo (as per ELG)[4]
History
editUntil the 8th century the parish of Abbaretiacum had its own Lord Bishop under the Bishops of Nantes. Following the invasion of Normandy and civil wars in Brittany in the 11th and 12th centuries Abbaretz ceased to be a feudal state. During the 10th century the lords of Chateaubriand took effective possession of the territory of Abbaretz: to enter Abbaretz was a privilege they gave to one of their younger sons, known by the name of Le Boeuf who was First Lord of Nozay and Issé. In 1123, however, the Duke Conan confirmed the church of Nantes as the owner of the church at Abbaretz.
In June 1230 Brient Le Boeuf, called "The Old Man", Lord of Issé, donated to the Cistercian Abbey of Notre Dame de Melleray, for the salvation of his soul, some land he owned at Abbaretz. The monks of this monastery built a barn and a chapel dedicated to St. Margaret. At the same time, Geoffroy de Trent abandoned his portion of Melleray Abbey and two-thirds of all the tithes of the land of the Abbaretz forest ("decimas terre sue de foresta de Abbaret").
In 1242, Guégon Le Gruc and his wife Agathe of Trent (daughter of Olivier and niece of Geoffroy of Trent) confirmed this pious donation. The parishioners of Abbaretz tried to oppose the increase in their tithes by the monks at Melleray. From the documents in the process, it can be seen that the area called the Forest of Abbaretz was inhabited in 1235 by Daniel and Bernard de Rozé, Guy Lague, Robin Daniel, Guillaume Robin, Riwallon Le Duc, Guillaume Robert, Pierre Constanz, Geffroy Grimaut, Guillaume Raffrey, and Judicaël Troynel who were all vassals of Geoffroy Trent.
When the diocese of Nantes was divided into archdeaconries and deaneries, the parish of Abbaretz was included in the deanery of Chateaubriand, a member of the archdeaconry of Mee.
The fiefs component of the Lordship of Abbaretz was composed of several parts:
- the income from Nozay[Note 1]
- the income from Issé[Note 2]
- the income from Vioreau[Note 3]
- the barony of Derval,
- The Melleray Abbey[Note 4]
The headquarters of the most important Lordship was located at the Chateau de La Riviere which originally belongs to the Briant (or Brient) family and then passed into the hands of the lords of Chateaubriant, then the House of Montmorency, and then the Prince of Condé.
Heraldry
editThe ermine evokes the emblem of Brittany, recalling past inclusion of the town with the Duchy of Brittany. The arms were designed by Mr. Le Rossignol and have been in use since 1983.
Blazon:
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Administration
editList of Successive Mayors of Abbaretz[5]
From | To | Name |
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1843 | René Suraud | |
1870 | 1871 | François Marchand |
1871 | 1891 | Julien Bauchene |
1891 | 1904 | Pierre Herbert |
1904 | 1937 | Yvonnic Guillotin |
1937 | 1971 | Jean Brehier |
1971 | 1989 | Maurice Cadot |
1989 | 2008 | Robert Bommé |
2008 | 2023 | Jean-Pierre Possoz |
2023 | Current | Simone Buron |
Population
editThe inhabitants of the commune are known as Abbarois or Abbaroises in French.[6]
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Source: EHESS (1793-1999)[7] and INSEE[8] |
Age distribution
editAge range | Percentage |
---|---|
0 to 14 years | 22.8 |
15 to 29 years | 15.3 |
30 to 44 years | 20.9 |
45 to 59 years | 20.5 |
60 to 74 years | 14.0 |
75 years+ | 6.6 |
Languages
editFrench and the local language of Gallo are spoken in the area. The Gallo language is in danger of extinction according to a study by Serge Jouin in his thesis: "The Gallo speech of Abbaretz and elsewhere ...", published in two volumes in 1982 and 1984. Abbaretz is also a point of survey for the linguistic atlas (ALBRAM) by Messrs. Guillaume and Chauveau.
Sights
edit- Site of the tin mine. The area was known for its tin production into the 1960s but it has now been converted to recreational purposes.
- The lake that was produced from tin extraction has an area of 15 hectares and is used for water skiing.
- The slag heap is 121 metres high (which is 5 metres higher than the highest hill in the department - Breteche hill) provides a scenic view with hiking and para-sailing opportunities.
- Chestnut tree of the Nonneries: this is a classified tree 800 years old.
- Old Forges of the Jahotière which has now been converted into a hotel and function centre. [9]
- The parish Church of Saint-Pierre has a Chalice which is registered as an historical object. [10]
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The slag heap of the old tin mine.
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The top of the slag heap.
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Ruins of the old forge.
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Old forge building at Jahotière.
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Buildings at the old forge at Jahotière.
See also
editNotes and references
editNotes
edit- ^ (fiefs of Fief-Racaud or Fief-Rouzay, la Hardière, la Gueffraye, la Houssaye, la Rouaudière, les Hauts-Chemins, Galhard, la Pierre, la Chaussee, la Rabardière, Montbaron, Coulouine, la Guilminière, la Bonnaudière, les Rivières, Maffay, la Belaudaye, la Chevrollière, la Pommeraye, la Mollière, la Vennerie, la Placière, la Pourprise, Guillote-Ouairie, la Fouaye, la Forest, Pillet-Morel, Bouzay, Bourdon, Chesne-Trouit, la Chesnaye, la Raimbaudière, la Rabaudière, Rebuffé, Tournel de Hameline, Helland, le bourg d'Abbaretz, etc.)
- ^ (fiefs de la Minière, du Houx, de la Trahannière, de la Herminière et de la Torraye, ...)
- ^ (fiefs de la Liraye, d'Estival et de la Bouchetière, ...)
- ^ (the Barn Abbaretz, the farms of Sainte-Marguerite and Féchetaye the Guichardaye the Rouaudière the Herminière ...)
References
edit- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b Google Maps
- ^ Breton Towns, Gallo Names, ed. Geobreizh, consulted on 18 March 2013 Archived April 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
- ^ Le nom des habitants du 44 - Loire-Atlantique, habitants.fr
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Abbaretz, EHESS (in French).
- ^ a b Évolution et structure de la population en 2020, INSEE
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00108561 Old Forges of the Jahotière (in French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM44000001 Statue: (in French)
External links
edit- Abbaretz commune website (in French)
- Abbaretz on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
- Abbaretz on the 1750 Cassini Map