Bassignac

Bassignac
Commune
The Romanesque chapel of Saint-Jacques, in the hamlet of Vendes, in Bassignac
Location of Bassignac
Bassignac Show map of France Bassignac Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°19′18″N 2°24′24″E / 45.3217°N 2.4067°E / 45.3217; 2.4067
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Cantal
Arrondissement	Mauriac
Canton	Ydes
Intercommunality	Sumène Artense
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Marc Maisonneuve[1]
Area 1	11.95 km2 (4.61 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	221
• Density	18/km2 (48/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	15019 /15240
Elevation	359–671 m (1,178–2,201 ft) (avg. 412 m or 1,352 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bassignac (French pronunciation: [basiɲak]; Occitan: Bassinhac) is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region of south-central France.^[3]

Bassignac is located some 35 km north-east of Tulle and 10 km south by south-west of Bort-les-Orgues. Access to the commune is by the D922 road from Ydes in the north which passes through the length of the commune and the village and continues south to Mauriac. The D12 comes from Veyrières in the west and goes down the western border joining the D922 at Vendes. The D512 branches off the D12 and passes through Parensol continuing north to join the D922 south of Ydes. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Le Fau, Le Marlat, Parensol, Montgroux, Vendes, Brousse, and Champleix. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.^[4][5]

Vendes is the largest village in the commune with 60 inhabitants in winter and about 100 in summer and is dominated by the old Sumène viaduct.^[6]

The Sumène river flows through the commune from north to south turning west to form the southern border of the commune and continuing west to join the Dordogne north of Arches. The Ruisseau de la Graille rises in the centre of the commune and flows north then south to join the Sumène. The Ruisseau de Rouillade flows south forming the eastern border of the commune before joining the Sumène near the centre of the commune.^[4][5]

In the 10th century the hamlet of Vendes was the property of Artaud de Charlus. Charlus was a promontory some 4 km north of Vendes and had a fortified chateau on top. There are no remains except a view across the mountains of Auvergne. The Lévis-Charlus family was a noble family.^[6]

Bassignac appears as Baßignac on the 1750 Cassini Map^[7] and as Bassignac on the 1790 version.^[8]

There was a railway running through the commune with the second longest viaduct in Cantal at 367m and a height of 46m. The viaduct and railway were opened in 1893 as part of the SNCF line from Paris-Austerlitz-Aurillac. The line closed on 3 July 1994 and the viaduct was abandoned.^[6]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (April 2021)

List of Successive Mayors^[9]

In 2017 the commune had 231 inhabitants.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 539 —     1800 545 +0.16% 1806 570 +0.75% 1821 520 −0.61% 1831 585 +1.18% 1836 535 −1.77% 1841 512 −0.87% 1846 600 +3.22% 1851 587 −0.44% 1856 584 −0.10% 1861 515 −2.48% 1866 531 +0.61% 1872 455 −2.54% 1876 512 +2.99% 1881 508 −0.16% 1886 485 −0.92% 1891 1,260 +21.04% 1896 635 −12.81%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 636 +0.03% 1906 639 +0.09% 1911 540 −3.31% 1921 567 +0.49% 1926 562 −0.18% 1931 637 +2.54% 1936 461 −6.26% 1946 524 +1.29% 1954 422 −2.67% 1962 358 −2.03% 1968 276 −4.24% 1975 223 −3.00% 1982 209 −0.92% 1990 208 −0.06% 1999 230 +1.12% 2007 226 −0.22% 2012 223 −0.27% 2017 231 +0.71%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Source: EHESS[10] and INSEE[11]

The commune has a public primary school at Vendes.^[12]

• Association 3V - The espavents, Vendes Viaduct Village: Association to safeguard the Sumène viaduct and the festival of scarecrows.^[6]

The commune has many buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Sumène Viaduct (1893)^[13] The interior decor of the Viaduct is also registered as an historical object.^[14]
• A Priory House (1746)^[15]
• The Chateau Park ^[16]
• Coal Mining Industrial Buildings (19th century)^[17]
• Houses and Farms (17th-20th century)^[18]
• A Flour Mill at Vendes (1799)^[19]
• A City of Miners at Champleix (20th century)^[20]
• A Farmhouse at Lavaurs (1865)^[21]
• A Merchant's House at Lachamp (1868)^[22]
• A Farmhouse at Le Fau (1769)^[23]
• A Farmhouse at La Riagaire (1799)^[24]
• A Farmhouse at Montgroux (1830)^[25]
• A Farmhouse at Emprades (16th century)^[26]
• The Chateau du Rieu Farmhouse at Le Rieu (1755)^[27]
• A Road Bridge at Vendes (18th century)^[28]
• A Wheelwright and Blacksmith's House at Vendes (18th century)^[29]
• A House at Vendes (1746)^[30]
• A Chateau at Vendes (1780)^[31]
• A Chateau (15th century)^[32]

The commune has several religious buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Church of Vendes (11th century)^[33]
• Monumental Crosses (19th-20th century)^[34]
• The Benedictine Priory of Saint Jacques (1778)^[35] The priory contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • The Furniture in the Priory^[36]
  • A Group Sculpture: Education of the Virgin (19th century)^[37]
  • A Statuette: Saint Marguerite of Antioch (19th century)^[38]
  • A Statuette: Saint Barbe (18th century)^[39]
  • 2 Statuettes: Saint Jacques and Saint Joseph (1855)^[40]
  • A Stoup (Middle Ages)^[41]
• The Parish Church of Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Radegonde (12th century)^[42] The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Stained glass window: God the Father blessing (15th century)^[43]
  • A Stained glass window: Christ blessing (15th century)^[44]
  • An ex-voto Painting: The Crucifixion (1633)^[45]
  • 4 Capitals and 2 bases (12th century)^[46]
  • The Furniture in the Church^[47]
  • A Candle Mould (19th century)^[48]
  • A Chalice (18th century)^[49]
  • A Statue: Saint Radegonde of Poitiers (17th century)^[50]
  • A Painting: The Adoration of the citizens (19th century)^[51]
  • A Painting: Saint Radegonde of Poitiers (19th century)^[52]
  • A Painting: The Crucifixion (1633)^[53]
  • 2 Windows: Christ blessing and God the Father (16th century)^[54]

• Communes of the Cantal department

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bassignac.