Avanne-Aveney (French pronunciation: [avan avnɛ]) is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France.

Avanne-Aveney
View of Avanne from the left bank of the Doubs
View of Avanne from the left bank of the Doubs
Coat of arms of Avanne-Aveney
Location of Avanne-Aveney
Map
Avanne-Aveney is located in France
Avanne-Aveney
Avanne-Aveney
Avanne-Aveney is located in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Avanne-Aveney
Avanne-Aveney
Coordinates: 47°12′10″N 5°57′54″E / 47.2028°N 5.965°E / 47.2028; 5.965
CountryFrance
RegionBourgogne-Franche-Comté
DepartmentDoubs
ArrondissementBesançon
CantonBesançon-1
IntercommunalityGrand Besançon Métropole
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Marie-Jeanne Bernabeu[1]
Area
1
8.62 km2 (3.33 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
2,235
 • Density260/km2 (670/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
25036 /25720
Elevation228–493 m (748–1,617 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Avannais or Avannaises.[3]

Geography

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Avanne-Aveney is located to the immediate south-west of Besançon with the town of Avanne joined to the Besançon urban area. The smaller town of Aveney is on the opposite bank of the river linked by a bridge. Access to the commune is by the D106 from Besançon which continues west to Grandfontaine. Route nationale N83 passes through the south-east of the commune from Beure in the north-east to Samson in the south. The D367 links Avanne to Aveney via a bridge across the river. The west and the east of the commune have extensive forests and the two villages have a substantial urban area leaving a small amount of land as farmland.[4]

The Doubs river flows through the south-east of the commune as it flows south-west to join the Saône at Verdun-sur-le-Doubs.[4]

Neighbouring communes and villages

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[4]

Toponymy

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Two propositions exist for the origin of the name of the commune. According to some linguists Avanne takes its name from the Latin avena meaning "oats" and, by extension, poor ground. For others, the name is from the Gallic abona meaning "river".

History

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Antiquity

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The occupation of the site in Gallo-Roman times is attested by the discovery of remains of a building in the north of the commune on Rue des Combots when the construction of the Grands Prés housing estate in the 1970s was finished. Unfortunately this was not reported at the time so these remains have not been studied except from the descriptions. A hypocaust, suggesting the existence of a Roman villa, was located on Rue des Blotets.

Ancient Times

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The Lordship of Avanne was attested in 1092 and was dependent from the beginning on the lords of Montfaucon and the Counts of Burgundy. In the 12th century the lords of Faucogney had rights which they yielded in 1280 to the Count of Burgundy. The lordship then returned to the lords of Faucogney in the 14th century, then to the Dukes of Aumont in the 15th century which they kept until 1723. It was then owned by the Pourcheresse de Fraisans family.

Genealogy of the house of Avanne

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The Chateau of Avanne, which was located on the border of the territory of Besançon, was owned by the lords of that name. It appears that this house was then passed to the lords of Faucogney: Gislebert de Faucogney, lord of Avanne, in 1180, gave land planted in vines and the use of his forests to the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Billon. This gift was confirmed by Aymé de Faucogney. Guy d'Avanne had already affixed his name to the donation made by Archbishop Hugh III to the Church of Sainte-Madeleine of Besançon in 1092. Hugues d'Avanne was cited in a title of Billon in 1163. Renaud d'Avanne, canon of Sainte-Madeleine, in 1189, gave a one third part of the Avanne Mill to the church. Thibaud d'Avanne, canon and cantor of the same church, in 1246 ceded to his chapter the share that he had in his kiln, called Kiln of Seet typochal, located at Charmont.[5]

Hugues d'Avanne, knight, gave a meix[Note 1] located at the village of Estu to the abbey of Saint-Paul de Besançon. He was the father of Jean and Etienne who were mentioned in the will of their uncle Thibaud. Jean d'Avanne, knight, in 1246 approved the donation of the Charmont kiln made to the Chapter of Sainte-Madeleine by his brother. His son, Peter, was a Gentleman and he married Oudette, daughter of Raoul de Saint-Sevigne, knight. In 1287 Aymé d'Avanne, son of Thibaud d'Avanne, Gentleman, agreed to sell a vineyard at Étiennette created by Lambert d'Avanne, a citizen of Besançon.[5]

The current commune of Avanne-Aveney is the result of the merger of the communes of Avanne and Aveney, at first as an Association in 1973 then a full merger in 2004.

Vineyards have long been a major resource in Avanne, especially until the 18th century. There are still many traces of the past with old houses equipped with wine cellars. Originally a ferry connected the two villages but it was replaced by a metal bridge in 1893.

Heraldry

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Arms of Avanne-Aveney
Blazon:

Or, three cinquefoils Gules 2 and 1.



Administration

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List of Successive Mayors[6]

Mayors from 1894 to 1973
From To Name Commune
1894 1941 Léon Dony Avanne
1904 Virgile Bart Aveney
1904 1911 Léon Niess Aveney
1911 1912 Edouard Grappey Aveney
1912 1912 Virgile Bart Aveney
1912 1919 Jean-Baptiste Vauthier Aveney
1919 1921 Paul Chevry Aveney
1921 1925 Charles Guy Aveney
1925 1925 Paul Chevry Aveney
1925 1925 Arthur Hugues Aveney
1925 1928 Louis Vauthier Aveney
1928 1931 Paul Chevry Aveney
1931 1943 Victor Paillard Aveney
1941 1942 Hilaire Hansmannel Avanne
1942 1945 Paul Byot Avanne
1943 1953 Fernand Lanfrey Aveney
1945 1953 Henri Maître Avanne
1953 1968 Henri Marchal Aveney
1953 1956 Jean Bichet Avanne
1956 1965 Marcel Dufay Avanne
1965 1973 Ivan de Maistre Avanne
1968 1973 Georges Marguier Aveney
Mayors from 1973
From To Name
1973 1977 Ivan de Maistre
1977 1995 Yves Frechin
1995 1997 Gerard Tattu
1997 2014 Jean-Pierre Taillard
2014 2020 Alain Paris
2020 2026 Marie-Jeanne Bernabeu

Demography

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In 2017 the commune had 2,255 inhabitants. Prior to 1973 the population figures shown include both the former communes of Avanne and Aveney.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 597—    
1800 638+0.95%
1806 710+1.80%
1821 653−0.56%
1831 847+2.64%
1836 864+0.40%
1841 868+0.09%
1846 837−0.72%
1851 801−0.88%
1856 765−0.92%
1861 748−0.45%
1866 769+0.56%
1872 685−1.91%
1876 667−0.66%
1881 657−0.30%
1886 660+0.09%
1891 595−2.05%
1896 562−1.13%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 551−0.39%
1906 552+0.04%
1911 546−0.22%
1921 445−2.02%
1926 429−0.73%
1931 466+1.67%
1936 483+0.72%
1946 532+0.97%
1954 624+2.01%
1962 735+2.07%
1968 899+3.41%
1975 1,374+6.25%
1982 1,826+4.15%
1990 1,870+0.30%
1999 1,903+0.19%
2007 2,336+2.60%
2012 2,317−0.16%
2017 2,255−0.54%
Source: EHESS[7][8] and INSEE[9]

Culture and heritage

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Civil heritage

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View of Aveney and the Doubs loop.
 
Stele on the Valmy rock.

The commune has one site that is registered as an historical monument:

  • An Ornamental Garden (1851) [10] in the Chateau of Avanne park.
Other points of interest
  • Several viewing points from the Valmy rock and the Martelin cave with magnificent views of the Doubs loop and the banks of the Doubs over 6 km.
  • At the Valmy Rock stands a monument to the memory of the martyrs of the Guy Mocquet and the Marius Vallet resistance fighter groups who were shot at the Citadel of Besançon on 26 September 1943 or died in deportation.
  • The Bridge, built in 1893, is a bridge originally intended to carry a railway line at another site that was bought by the communes Avanne and Aveney to replace the ferry that used to link the two villages. This is one of the few bridges that was not destroyed during World War II. It allowed the passage of the Allied armies in September 1944 and was for this reason called The Liberator. It was completely renovated in 2000 and doubled with a walkway.
  • The Chateau of Avanne whose history is closely linked to that of the lords and nobles of Montferrand from the 13th to the 15th century and affiliated to the County of Burgundy. It became part of a series of fortifications which included those of Montferrand-le-Château, Thoraise, Torpes, Corcondray, and Fourg. It was built in 1280 on top of the cliff which overlooks the Grande Rue. It was probably destroyed by the armies of Louis XI when they conquered the County after the death of Charles the Bold in 1477. The last tower collapsed in 1816. Only a few stairs, a wall, and some foundations remain of this chateau.

Religious heritage

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The commune has one religious building that is registered as an historical monument:

  • The Church of Avanne (1826) [11] is the work of architect Pierre Marnotte. This building was a joint production of the two unmerged communes at the time. The Church contains one item that is registered as an historical object:
    • A Statue: Saint Vernier (19th century) [12]
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Notable people linked to the commune

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See also

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Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ An ancient custom: the home of a farmer together with much of the land it takes to feed and care for him

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. ^ Inhabitants of (in French)
  4. ^ a b c Google Maps
  5. ^ a b Genealogical History of the squires of Salins in the County of Burgundy (in French)
  6. ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  7. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Avanne-Aveney, EHESS (in French).
  8. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Aveney, EHESS (in French).
  9. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  10. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA25000324 Ornamental Garden (in French)
  11. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA25000009 Church of Avanne (in French) 
  12. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM25001844 Statue: Saint Vernier (in French)

Bibliography

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