Agy (French pronunciation: [aʒi] ) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France.

Agy
The Church of Saint Vigor
The Church of Saint Vigor
Location of Agy
Map
Agy is located in France
Agy
Agy
Agy is located in Normandy
Agy
Agy
Coordinates: 49°14′30″N 0°45′36″W / 49.2417°N 0.76°W / 49.2417; -0.76
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentCalvados
ArrondissementBayeux
CantonBayeux
IntercommunalityBayeux Intercom
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Christophe Poitevin[1]
Area
1
4.21 km2 (1.63 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
313
 • Density74/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
14003 /14400
Elevation30–83 m (98–272 ft)
(avg. 65 m or 213 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Agy is located 4 km south-west of Bayeux and 7 km north-east of Balleroy. The D572 highway from Bayeux to Saint-Lô passes through the eastern edges of the commune. The rest of the commune can be reached on the D207 from Campigny in the north-west passing through the village then continuing south-east to join the D572A which is parallel to the D572. Apart from the village there are three hamlets: La Commune, Les Malcadets, and Aprigny all along the D207 road. The rest of the commune is entirely farmland.[3]

The north-east border of the commune is marked by the Drone river with the southern border marked by the Ponche. In the west is the Vicalet stream flowing north and partly forming the western border.[3]

Toponymy

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The town's name is attested in its Latin form Ageyum as early as the 9th century. It seems to be based on the Latin surname Agius, followed by the Gaulish suffix -acum. If this theory is correct it follows that Agy was once the lands of a man called Agius.[4]

History

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In 1834 the parish of Agy was attached to Subles and the Agy church was put on sale for demolition. On 25 August 1834, however, residents opposed the bailiffs who came to take possession of the premises with the buyers. Faced with resistance, Alexandre Douesnel-Dubosq - public prosecutor, was summoned by the police but, armed with clubs, the population continued to oppose the destruction of the church and the cemetery. In the afternoon the National Guard of Bayeux arrived to reinforce the police with three hundred men and this ended the riot. Three protesters were sentenced by the Correctional Tribunal of Bayeux. The demolition of the church took place over the following days. The people of Subles celebrated this event which created rivalry between the two towns. A resident of Subles set up the cock from the steeple of the Agy church on his house. The people of Agy then joined the French Catholic Church of Father Châtel and launched a subscription that led to the construction of a new church and the installation of a priest who was a disciple of Father Chatel. In this way, the people had their revenge.[5]

Administration

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List of Successive Mayors of Agy[6]

From To Name Party Position
- 2001 Francis Blondel
2001 2014 Claude Tillard ind. Professor of Mechanical Engineering
2014 2020 Yvette Jeanne ind. Retired manager
2020 2026 Christophe Poitevin

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 302—    
1800 312+0.47%
1806 321+0.48%
1821 306−0.32%
1831 341+1.09%
1836 328−0.77%
1841 319−0.55%
1846 314−0.32%
1851 290−1.58%
1856 289−0.07%
1861 303+0.95%
1866 298−0.33%
1872 264−2.00%
1876 273+0.84%
1881 256−1.28%
1886 269+1.00%
1891 250−1.45%
1896 269+1.48%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 230−3.08%
1906 243+1.11%
1911 199−3.92%
1921 169−1.62%
1926 160−1.09%
1931 158−0.25%
1936 176+2.18%
1946 198+1.18%
1954 187−0.71%
1962 162−1.78%
1968 183+2.05%
1975 135−4.25%
1982 267+10.23%
1990 280+0.60%
1999 280+0.00%
2007 245−1.66%
2012 234−0.91%
2017 292+4.53%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE[8]

Sites and monuments

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  • A Castle from the 18th century and a stately mansion from the 16th century has belonged to the same family since 1805 and has been transmitted for several generations of women (Dragon de Gomiécourt / Isoard de Chénerilles / the Poëze of Harambure. A tribute to this family is on the windows of the church of the commune
  • The Church of Saint-Vigor, built in the 19th century.
  • The Villa of Agy (19th century). Balzac, during his stay in Bayeux, visited the owner, Mrs Hautefeuille who he described as "as full of spirit as the most spiritual Parisian woman".

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. ^ a b c Google Maps
  4. ^ Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieu en France, Paris, Librairie Guénégaud, 1979 (ISBN 2-85023-076-6), p. 4b
  5. ^ Society of Sciences, Arts, and Literature of Bayeux, 1891, on the Gallica database (in French)
  6. ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  7. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Agy, EHESS (in French).
  8. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
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