Bayel

Bayel (French pronunciation: [bajɛl]) is a commune in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of north-central France.^[3]

Bayel
Commune
Bayel Town Hall
Coat of arms
Location of Bayel
Bayel Show map of France Bayel Show map of Grand Est
Coordinates: 48°11′59″N 4°46′34″E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Aube
Arrondissement	Bar-sur-Aube
Canton	Bar-sur-Aube
Intercommunality	Région de Bar sur Aube
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Laurence Caillet-Meyer[1]
Area 1	23 km2 (9 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	743
• Density	32/km2 (84/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	10035 /10310
Elevation	181 m (594 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Bayellois or Bayelloises.^[4]

The commune has been awarded three flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.^[5]

Geography

Bayel is located some 23 km west by north-west of Chaumont and 25 km south-east of Brienne-le-Château. Access to the commune is by the D396 from Ville-sous-la-Ferté in the south which passes through the commune just west of the village and continues north-west to Bar-sur-Aube. The D170 goes from the village to join the D396 then south and west to Baroville. The D47 goes north-east from the village to Lignol-le-Château. The TER Grand Est railway from Troyes to Chalindrey passes through the commune coming from Bar-sur-Aube station in the north-west and continuing to Bricon station in the south-east with no station in the commune. The commune is mostly forest with some farmland following the railway line in the west of the commune.^[6][7]

The river Aube flows through the commune and the village forming part of the northern border as it flows north-west to eventually join the Seine at Marcilly-sur-Seine. The Ru du Gravelin rises just east of the commune and flows west to join the Aube. The Fossé de Six Pieds flows from a small lake in the commune to the Aube.^[6][7]

Toponymy

Bayel appears as Bayel on the 1750 Cassini Map^[8] and the same on the 1790 version.^[9]

History

Bayel has been known for glass work since the year 1300. In 1666 Jean-Baptiste Mazzolay, a Venetian glass master, established a crystal glass works under the aegis of the religious of Clairvaux who were then owners of the premises.

King Louis XIV gave it the label Royal Manufacturer of Crystal in Bayel under letters patent due to the exclusive production and sales between Chaumont and Paris. The factory later became the Royal Crystal of Champagne. Every year thousands of visitors come to see the art of the glassmakers of Bayel.

The crystal works formerly had about 600 employees at the beginning of the 1970s but today there remain only 39.

Heraldry

Arms of Bayel

Blazon: Sable, a crozier of Or debruised by a bend chequy of Argent and Gules between two fleurs de lis of Or; over all an inescutcheon Azure charged with a wine glass Argent.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[10]

From	To	Name
	1857	Henri Aubertin
2001	2011	Jacky Varennes
2011	2020	Serge Roussel
2020	2026	Laurence Caillet-Meyer

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 758 inhabitants.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 375 —     1800 475 +3.43% 1806 565 +2.93% 1821 556 −0.11% 1831 619 +1.08% 1836 694 +2.31% 1841 712 +0.51% 1846 707 −0.14% 1851 670 −1.07% 1856 811 +3.89% 1861 860 +1.18% 1866 888 +0.64% 1872 967 +1.43% 1876 1,007 +1.02% 1881 995 −0.24% 1886 1,033 +0.75% 1891 1,063 +0.57% 1896 1,133 +1.28%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 1,272 +2.34% 1906 1,454 +2.71% 1911 1,517 +0.85% 1921 1,263 −1.82% 1926 1,405 +2.15% 1931 1,432 +0.38% 1936 1,456 +0.33% 1946 1,319 −0.98% 1954 1,440 +1.10% 1962 1,392 −0.42% 1968 1,353 −0.47% 1975 1,282 −0.77% 1982 1,111 −2.02% 1990 960 −1.81% 1999 860 −1.21% 2007 860 +0.00% 2012 813 −1.12% 2017 758 −1.39%
Source: EHESS[11] and INSEE[12]

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

• The Tourist Office contains three items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Commemorative plaque for Pierre Moreau (1749)^[13]
  • A Commemorative plaque for Marie Simmonot (1730)^[14]
  • The Furniture in the Tourist Office^[15]

The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Royal Glassworks of Champagne (19th century)^[16]
• The La Borde Farmhouse (16th century)^[17]

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint Martin

The Virgin of Pity Statue

• The Parish Church of Saint Martin contains a large number of objects that are registered as historical objects.^[18]

See also

• Communes of the Aube department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. INSEE commune file
4. Inhabitants of Aube (in French)
5. Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom website Archived December 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (in French)
6. Bayel on Google Maps
7. Bayel on the Géoportail from National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
8. Bayel on the 1750 Cassini Map
9. Bayel on the 1790 Cassini Map
10. List of Mayors of France (in French)
11. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Bayel, EHESS (in French).
12. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
13. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM10004640 Commemorative plaque for Pierre Moreau (in French)
14. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM10004639 Commemorative plaque for Marie Simmonot (in French)
15. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10011727 Furniture in the Tourist Office (in French)
16. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA10000063 Royal Glassworks of Champagne (in French)
17. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00125373 La Borde Farmhouse (in French)
18. Search results Base Palissy