Crozant
Encyclopedia
Crozant is a commune
in the Creuse
department in the Limousin
region
in France
.
, the boundary with the department of Indre
.
This administrative boundary is very old. It approximates to the linguistic boundary between the langue d'oïl and langue d'oc.
It also has a geological significance: to the south, the granite foothills of the Massif central
, while in the plains to the north begins the limestone of the Paris basin.
When the Eguzon dam
on the Creuse was built in 1926, the landscape, society and the local economy changed under the water’s influence in just a few years. One has only to see old postcards and the works of Armand Guillaumin
, who painted about 140 landscapes, to notice the difference. The moors were maintained by the extensive grazing of sheep and goats, which slowly declined between the two wars and died out completely after 1950. The trend nowadays is the restoration of surrounding ruins, and the forestation of those former natural open spaces.
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The name of Crozant is probably derived from Celtic
then the Latin
"Croso" (which also gives us "Creuse"). Successively known as Crozenc in 1208, Crozent in 1277, Crousant (1512) and the modern form "Crozant".
The rocky outcrop between the Creuse
and its tributary, the Sédelle has been occupied since prehistoric times. A fortress appears to have been built between 997 and 1018. But it was in the 13th century that the castle we know today was built. One of the remaining towers bears the name of Isabella of Angoulême
, widow of King John I of England, subsequently the wife of Hugues X de Lusignan.
In his book on the history of the region (La Marche), Joullietton reported that the castle at Crozant was taken by Catholics in 1588, which ruined one of the towers. From 1606, the castle served as a source of building material for the local people. Notes prepared in 1640, by the king’s inspector at Moulins
, Voyer d'Argenson, noted that the castle was in a sad state. The remains of the stronghold, which had belonged to the Crown since the confiscation of all the property of Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
, Constable of France
in 1527, was then acquired by Gabriel Beaupré, governor of La Marche.
The ruins of the citadel cover a large part of the spur, with several successive ramparts, a square 15th century donjon and two 13th century towers plus a chapel and a "tour de l’eau’’ from where water could be raised from the river whilst covered and safe from attack.
At the end of lengthy negotiations led by the mayor of Crozant, the ruins were acquired a few years ago by the commune. A major reconstruction programme was undertaken, with funding from the state, regional and local councils, resulting in the reopening of the site to the public (€2 adults - €1.50 concessions (2008)).
From the nineteenth century, the area around Crozant inspired many painters. Perhaps the first was Paul Castans (1823–1892), who inspired Armand Guillaumin
(1841–1927), to chose Crozant as his residence of choice. They give birth to the Crozant School (in French, L'Ecole de Crozant), for all those who found inspiration by the shores of the Creuse. Among them were: Ernest Josephson (1851–1906), Fernand Maillaud (1862–1948), Paul Madeline, Clementine Ballot (1880–1924), the Leloir dynasty (particularly Mauritius Leloir (1853–1940)), Swede Walter Oetten ( 1897–1972), Solange Christauflour (1900–1953), Ernest Victor Hareux and so on. Not far from the church there is a bronze bust of Guillaumin.
In 1926, the demand for electricity generation led to the creation of the Eguzon dam
. This created a new tourist attraction known as Lake Chambon after the hamlet bordering Éguzon. The painters’ landscapes now included the lake, which also has boats for hire and dinner cruises around it.
During the Second World War, the bridge separating the Creuse from Indre
at Crozant was dynamited. A temporary pontoon bridge
was installed pending the construction of the new bridge. Today, when the water level is low enough, one can still see a stone stack of the old bridge lying on its side.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Creuse
Creuse
Creuse is a department in central France named after the Creuse River.-History:Creuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of La Marche....
department in the Limousin
Limousin (région)
Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
A tourism and farming village situated some 20 miles (32.2 km) northeast of Guéret, on the D72 and by the banks of the river CreuseCreuse River
The Creuse is a 264 km long river in western France, a tributary of the river Vienne. Its source is in the Plateau de Millevaches, a north-western extension of the Massif Central...
, the boundary with the department of Indre
Indre
Indre is a department in the center of France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are called Indriens.-History:Indre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
.
This administrative boundary is very old. It approximates to the linguistic boundary between the langue d'oïl and langue d'oc.
It also has a geological significance: to the south, the granite foothills of the Massif central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
, while in the plains to the north begins the limestone of the Paris basin.
When the Eguzon dam
Eguzon dam
The Eguzon dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Creuse River in central France. Construction took place from 1922 to 1926 and, at the time, was the largest dam in Europe.thumb|right|Eguzon Dam...
on the Creuse was built in 1926, the landscape, society and the local economy changed under the water’s influence in just a few years. One has only to see old postcards and the works of Armand Guillaumin
Armand Guillaumin
Armand Guillaumin , was a French impressionist painter and lithographer.Born Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin in Paris, he worked at his uncle's lingerie shop while attending evening drawing lessons. He also worked for a French government railway before studying at the Académie Suisse in 1861...
, who painted about 140 landscapes, to notice the difference. The moors were maintained by the extensive grazing of sheep and goats, which slowly declined between the two wars and died out completely after 1950. The trend nowadays is the restoration of surrounding ruins, and the forestation of those former natural open spaces.
Population
History
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
then the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
"Croso" (which also gives us "Creuse"). Successively known as Crozenc in 1208, Crozent in 1277, Crousant (1512) and the modern form "Crozant".
The rocky outcrop between the Creuse
Creuse River
The Creuse is a 264 km long river in western France, a tributary of the river Vienne. Its source is in the Plateau de Millevaches, a north-western extension of the Massif Central...
and its tributary, the Sédelle has been occupied since prehistoric times. A fortress appears to have been built between 997 and 1018. But it was in the 13th century that the castle we know today was built. One of the remaining towers bears the name of Isabella of Angoulême
Isabella of Angoulême
Isabella of Angoulême was queen consort of England as the second wife of King John from 1200 until John's death in 1216. They had five children by the king including his heir, later Henry III...
, widow of King John I of England, subsequently the wife of Hugues X de Lusignan.
In his book on the history of the region (La Marche), Joullietton reported that the castle at Crozant was taken by Catholics in 1588, which ruined one of the towers. From 1606, the castle served as a source of building material for the local people. Notes prepared in 1640, by the king’s inspector at Moulins
Moulins
Moulins or Moulin may refer to:-People:*Jean-François-Auguste Moulin, politician in the French Revolution*Jean Moulin, member of the French Resistance during World War II*Pierre Du Moulin, Huguenot minister and author in France...
, Voyer d'Argenson, noted that the castle was in a sad state. The remains of the stronghold, which had belonged to the Crown since the confiscation of all the property of Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon was a French military leader, the Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. He commanded the Imperial troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in what became known as the Sack of Rome in 1527, where he was killed.-Biography:Charles was born at Montpensier...
, Constable of France
Constable of France
The Constable of France , as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France and Commander in Chief of the army. He, theoretically, as Lieutenant-general of the King, outranked all the nobles and was second-in-command only to the King...
in 1527, was then acquired by Gabriel Beaupré, governor of La Marche.
The ruins of the citadel cover a large part of the spur, with several successive ramparts, a square 15th century donjon and two 13th century towers plus a chapel and a "tour de l’eau’’ from where water could be raised from the river whilst covered and safe from attack.
At the end of lengthy negotiations led by the mayor of Crozant, the ruins were acquired a few years ago by the commune. A major reconstruction programme was undertaken, with funding from the state, regional and local councils, resulting in the reopening of the site to the public (€2 adults - €1.50 concessions (2008)).
From the nineteenth century, the area around Crozant inspired many painters. Perhaps the first was Paul Castans (1823–1892), who inspired Armand Guillaumin
Armand Guillaumin
Armand Guillaumin , was a French impressionist painter and lithographer.Born Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin in Paris, he worked at his uncle's lingerie shop while attending evening drawing lessons. He also worked for a French government railway before studying at the Académie Suisse in 1861...
(1841–1927), to chose Crozant as his residence of choice. They give birth to the Crozant School (in French, L'Ecole de Crozant), for all those who found inspiration by the shores of the Creuse. Among them were: Ernest Josephson (1851–1906), Fernand Maillaud (1862–1948), Paul Madeline, Clementine Ballot (1880–1924), the Leloir dynasty (particularly Mauritius Leloir (1853–1940)), Swede Walter Oetten ( 1897–1972), Solange Christauflour (1900–1953), Ernest Victor Hareux and so on. Not far from the church there is a bronze bust of Guillaumin.
In 1926, the demand for electricity generation led to the creation of the Eguzon dam
Eguzon dam
The Eguzon dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Creuse River in central France. Construction took place from 1922 to 1926 and, at the time, was the largest dam in Europe.thumb|right|Eguzon Dam...
. This created a new tourist attraction known as Lake Chambon after the hamlet bordering Éguzon. The painters’ landscapes now included the lake, which also has boats for hire and dinner cruises around it.
During the Second World War, the bridge separating the Creuse from Indre
Indre
Indre is a department in the center of France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are called Indriens.-History:Indre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
at Crozant was dynamited. A temporary pontoon bridge
Pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
was installed pending the construction of the new bridge. Today, when the water level is low enough, one can still see a stone stack of the old bridge lying on its side.
Sights
- The church of St. Etienne, dating from the twelfth century.
- The ruins of the 11th-century castle of Crozant, currently undergoing considerable restoration.
- The remains of the 15th-century château des Places.
- The chapel of St. Madeleine dating from the seventeenth century.
- The gardens and Arboretum de la SédelleArboretum de la SédelleThe Arboretum de la Sédelle is a private arboretum located in Villejoint, Crozant, Creuse, Limousin, France. It is open several afternoons a week in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged....
.