La Charité-sur-Loire
Encyclopedia
La Charité-sur-Loire is a commune
in the Nièvre
department in central France
.
.
A great fire ravaged the town in 1559. In the French Wars of Religion
, it was one of the fortified towns granted as Huguenot
safe havens by the Peace of Saint-Germain (August 1570). In the Second War the fortified town withstood eight months of siege by Catholic forces.
By the time of the French Revolution
only a dozen monks remained in the priory, which was sold to private individuals and preserved. An improved highway that was to be driven through the church was deflected by the report of Prosper Merimée
, the first inspector of monuments (and author of Carmen
) who classed it as worth saving in 1840.
, the population was . On 1 January 2005, the estimate was .
in 1998, as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
.
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 Nièvre
Nièvre
Nièvre is a department in the centre of France named after the Nièvre River.-History:Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department in central 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...
.
History
The town began as the first of the Cluniac priories on an island site in the LoireLoire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
.
A great fire ravaged the town in 1559. In the French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
, it was one of the fortified towns granted as Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
safe havens by the Peace of Saint-Germain (August 1570). In the Second War the fortified town withstood eight months of siege by Catholic forces.
By the time of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
only a dozen monks remained in the priory, which was sold to private individuals and preserved. An improved highway that was to be driven through the church was deflected by the report of Prosper Merimée
Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée was a French dramatist, historian, archaeologist, and short story writer. He is perhaps best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen.-Life:...
, the first inspector of monuments (and author of Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
) who classed it as worth saving in 1840.
Demographics
At the 1999 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, the population was . On 1 January 2005, the estimate was .
Sights
The priory stands as a ruin. Simon I de Senlis was buried in it. The church Sainte-Croix-Notre-Dame was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1998, as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
In 1998, several sites in France were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the description: Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France....
.