Albepierre-Bredons

Albepierre-Bredons (French pronunciation: [albəpjɛʁ bʁədɔ̃]; Occitan: Alapèira e Bredòm) is a commune in the département of Cantal and Auvergne region of south-central France.^[3]

Albepierre-Bredons
Commune
A general view of Albepierre-Bredons
Coat of arms
Location of Albepierre-Bredons
Albepierre-Bredons Show map of France Albepierre-Bredons Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°04′41″N 2°49′58″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Cantal
Arrondissement	Saint-Flour
Canton	Murat
Intercommunality	Hautes Terres Communauté
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Xavier Fournal[1]
Area 1	34.42 km2 (13.29 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	237
• Density	6.9/km2 (18/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	15025 /15300
Elevation	872–1,855 m (2,861–6,086 ft) (avg. 1,050 m or 3,440 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Albepierre-Bredons is some 100 km south by south-west of Clermont-Ferrand and about 20 km north-west of Saint-Flour. It can be accessed by district road D39 coming south-west from Murat and continuing south-west by a circuitous route to Saint-Martin-sous-Vigouroux. District road D239 also starts from the town and heads north-east to join the D16 road north of Laveissenet.^[4]

History

The commune of Bredons was established in the 1790s by the merger of the former communes of Bredon and Albepierre. In 1836 part of its territory was detached to form the new commune Laveissière.^[5] The commune of Bredons was renamed Albepierre-Bredons in 1955.^[3][5]

Heraldry

Arms of Albepierre-Bredons

Blazon: Or, a heart Gules, in chief Azure charged by a crescent Argent between two mullets of 5 points the same.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Albepierre-Bredons^[6]

From	To	Name
2001	2014	Yvon Alain
2014	2020	Alain Vantalon
2020	2026	Xavier Fournal

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arapiroux in French.^[7]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	366	—
1975	322	−1.81%
1982	281	−1.93%
1990	266	−0.68%
1999	237	−1.27%
2007	217	−1.10%
2012	221	+0.37%
2017	246	+2.17%
Source: INSEE[8]

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

• A Fountain at Bredons (Middle Ages)^[9]
• Château de Beccoire, a royal castle built by Saint Louis, now ruined. It served as a travelling headquarters of the Bailiwick of the Mountains.

Religious heritage

Church of Saint-Pierre of Bredons

The commune has two religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

• A Calvary in the public square in Bredons (15th century)^[10]
• The Chapel of Bredons contains 6 Candlesticks (17th century) which are registered as historical objects.^[11]
• The Priory contains a Statue: Saint John (16th century) which is registered as an historical object.^[12]
• The Church of Albepierre contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Retable in the main Altar (18th century)^[13]
  • A Louis XV style Thurible (18th century)^[14]
  • A Reliquary Statue: Saint Timothy (17th century)^[15]
  • A Reliquary Statue: Saint Blaise (1699)^[16]
  • A Ciborium (18th century)^[17]
  • A Sunburst Monstrance (1890)^[18]
  • A Ciborium (18th century)^[19]
• The Church of Saint Pierre of Bredons (11th century)^[20] The Church of Saint Pierre contains a very large number of items that are registered as historical objects,^[20] including a Group Sculpture: Virgin in majesty (13th century)^[21]

Notable people linked to the commune

• André-François Voulon, poet, storyteller, essayist, born in 1946 in Murat
• Alfred Jacomis, skier, champion of France in 1939, who also participated in the Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany in 1936 and the World Championships in Chamonix in 1937
• Eugene Martens, historian of the Second World War
• Jean-Louis Philippart, physicist.
• Jean Ajalbert, writer, member of the Académie Goncourt. Born in 1863 in Levallois-Perret, died in 1947 in Cahors, buried at Bredons

See also

• Communes of the Cantal department

References

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. Commune d'Albepierre-Bredons (15025), INSEE
4. Google Maps
5. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Albepierre-Bredons, EHESS (in French).
6. List of Mayors of France (in French)
7. Le nom des habitants du 15 - Cantal, habitants.fr
8. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
9. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00093427 Fountain (in French)
10. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00093425 Church of Saint Pierre of Bredons (in French)
11. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM15000012 6 Candlesticks (in French)
12. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM15000636 Statue: Saint John (in French)
13. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM15000598 Retable in the main Altar (in French)
14. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM15000031 Louis XV style Thurible (in French)
15. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM15000030 Reliquary Statue: Saint Timothy (in French)
16. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM15000029 Reliquary Statue: Saint Blaise (in French)
17. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM15000638 Ciborium (in French)
18. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM15001502 Sunburst Monstrance (in French)
19. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM15001440 Ciborium (in French)
20. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00093426 Church of Saint Pierre of Bredons (in French)
21. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM15000001 Group Sculpture: Virgin in majesty (in French)

External links

• Albepierre-Bredons on the old National Geographic Institute website (in French)
• Albepierre and Bredoni on the 1750 Cassini Map