Monthureux-sur-Saône
Encyclopedia
Monthureux-sur-Saône is a commune
in the Vosges
department in Lorraine
in northeastern France
.
Inhabitants are called Monthurolais.
word "monasteriolum" meaning 'little monastery'. By the fourteenth century the name had mutated to Monstreuil.
The origins of the little town are uncertain. During the turbulent aftermath of the Gallo-Roman period, the site currently occupied by Monthureux-sur-Saône was probably abandoned to the forest. The name "Monasteriolum" (little monastery) only dates from the end of the ninth century. Subsequent spelling included "Monstreuil", "Montreuil", "Montreux" and "Montureux". The "h" in the spelling of the modern name is believed to result from a clerical error by a transcriber in 1628 who wrote "Montheureux".
The beginnings of Monthureux are frequently thought to involve the Gallo-Roman cemetery and the feudal castle, but the site was actually settled long before the arrival of the Romans. The town was settled in the time of the Lingons who had their capital at Langres
, and who controlled the territory in this area all the way to the Upper Saône valley (modern Haute-Saône
) and the vast Forest of Darney.
to Baccarat
.
After the Romans came the Franks
and the Burgundians
and presumably these tribes populated the region. However, it is probably that during the time Monthureux itself was not populated.
period. The current church positioned on the site of the old monastery was completely rebuilt in the sixteenth century, but some traces of the eleventh century arches survive on the exterior of the building on its north side. Of the priory itself, just two massive pillars survive, at the foot of an old stone staircase leading to the old cemetery.
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 Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
department in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
in northeastern 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...
.
Inhabitants are called Monthurolais.
Origins and Etymology
The name Monthureux comes from the base LatinMedieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
word "monasteriolum" meaning 'little monastery'. By the fourteenth century the name had mutated to Monstreuil.
The origins of the little town are uncertain. During the turbulent aftermath of the Gallo-Roman period, the site currently occupied by Monthureux-sur-Saône was probably abandoned to the forest. The name "Monasteriolum" (little monastery) only dates from the end of the ninth century. Subsequent spelling included "Monstreuil", "Montreuil", "Montreux" and "Montureux". The "h" in the spelling of the modern name is believed to result from a clerical error by a transcriber in 1628 who wrote "Montheureux".
The beginnings of Monthureux are frequently thought to involve the Gallo-Roman cemetery and the feudal castle, but the site was actually settled long before the arrival of the Romans. The town was settled in the time of the Lingons who had their capital at Langres
Langres
Langres is a commune in north-eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne region.-History:As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres.The town is built on a limestone...
, and who controlled the territory in this area all the way to the Upper Saône valley (modern Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône is a French department of the Franche-Comté région, named after the Saône River.- History :The department was created in the early years of the French Revolution through the application of a law dated 22 December 1789, from part of the former province of Franche-Comté...
) and the vast Forest of Darney.
Romans and their successors
Once the Romans arrived, they organsised the construction of various military roads, one of which passes Monthureux on the way from LangresLangres
Langres is a commune in north-eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne region.-History:As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres.The town is built on a limestone...
to Baccarat
Baccarat
Baccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII , and it is similar to Faro and Basset...
.
After the Romans came the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
and the Burgundians
Burgundians
The Burgundians were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr , and from there to mainland Europe...
and presumably these tribes populated the region. However, it is probably that during the time Monthureux itself was not populated.
Medieval
The monastery for which the town is named may have dated back to the CarolingianCarolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
period. The current church positioned on the site of the old monastery was completely rebuilt in the sixteenth century, but some traces of the eleventh century arches survive on the exterior of the building on its north side. Of the priory itself, just two massive pillars survive, at the foot of an old stone staircase leading to the old cemetery.
Personalities
- Charles Levy (1805-1872), born at Monthureux-sur-Saône, registered a patent for a nail manufacturing machine that improved the production process. A street at Bains-les-BainsBains-les-BainsBains-les-Bains is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-External links: http://mairiebains.jimdo.com/...
is named after him. - Charles Godard(1827-1899), born at Monthureux-sur-Saône, was an architect who worked for the diocese of LangresLangresLangres is a commune in north-eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne region.-History:As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres.The town is built on a limestone...
and a prodigious builder of churches in the area.