Barrême (; oc, Barrema) is a commune in the southeastern French

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the west ...

. The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Barrêmois'' or ''Barrêmoises''.

Geography

Barrême is located at an altitude of 722 m some 20 km south-east of Digne-les-Bains and 15 km north-west of

Castellane Castellane (; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Departments of France, department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of ...

. Access to the commune is by

Route nationale A ''route nationale'', or simply ''nationale'', is a class of trunk road in France. They are important roads of national significance which cross broad portions of the French territory, in contrast to departmental or communal roads which serve m ...

N85 which comes from

Chaudon-Norante Chaudon-Norante (; oc, Chaudon e Noranta) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The river Asse flows northwest through the commune. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Prov ...

in the north-east and ends in the village. The N202 goes east from the village to

Moriez Moriez is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 Communes of France, communes of the Alpes-de- ...

. The D4085 goes south from the village to Senez. Apart from the village there are two hamlets: Gévaudan on a height near the N202, and la Basse-Palud. The Nice to Digne railway passes through the commune running parallel with the N85 and N202. It has three halts and one station: Saut du Loup, Barrême Station, La Tuiliere, and Gévaudan. Two rivers flow through the commune and join at the village: the ''Asse de Moriez'' from the east and the ''Asse de Blieux'' from the south. These rivers merge to form the

Asse Asse () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. As of 2020, Asse had a total popula ...

which flows north-east to eventually join the

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Manosque. The ''Asse de Clumanc'' flows from the north to join the ''Asse de Moriez''.

Geology

The commune attracts geologists from around the world due to its rich diversity of

ammonite Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttlefish) ...

fossils. The commune gave its name to a Stage of the Mesozoic (or secondary era) called the '' Barremian'' (4th stage of the Lower Cretaceous).

Relief

The part of the commune located on the left bank of the ''Asse de Blieux'' is part of the Massif of Montdenier.

Natural and technological risks

None of the 200 communes in the department is in a no seismic risk zone. The commune is in area 1b (low risk) according to the deterministic classification of 1991 and based on its seismic history and in zone 4 (medium risk) according to the probabilistic classification EC8 of 2011. Barrême also faces three other natural hazards:Ministry of Ecology, sustainable development, transport, and lodgings
Communal Notice Barrême
on the Gaspar database *Forest fire *Flood *Landslide Barrême is exposed to one risk of technological origin: transport of dangerous good along the Route nationales. There is no plan for prevention of foreseeable natural risks (PPR) for the commune but there has been a DICRIM since 2011. The commune has been subjected to several natural disasters: in 1984 an earthquake; floods, landslides and mudslides in 1994, 1996, 2008 and 2011. Other than that of 1984 and that of 27 September 1911, whose epicentre was in the commune but was not felt, the earthquake felt the most was that of 19 March 1935 (epicentre at

Saint-Clément-sur-Durance Saint-Clément-sur-Durance (, literally ''Saint-Clément on Durance''; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Sant Clamenç sus Durença'') is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hautes-Alpes depar ...

Toponymy

The locality is cited as ''Sancti Jacobi de Barrema'' in 1215. The name is formed from the oronymic (meaning mountain) root ''*BAR''. According to Rostaing the name is pre-Gallic. The name of the hamlet of Gévaudan is probably derived from ''Gabalatanus'' whose origin would be a domain founded by a Gaul of the Gabali tribe.Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing, ''Etymological Dictionary of place names in France'', Larousse, Paris, 1963 In Vivaro-Alpine and the classical norm of the

Provençal dialect Provençal (, , ; french: provençal , ; oc, provençau or ) is a Romance language, either considered as a variety of Occitan or a separate language, spoken by people in Provence and parts of Drôme. Historically, the term Provençal has been ...

the name is written ''Barrema'' or ''Barrèmo'' in the Mistralian norm. Barrême appears as ''Barreme'' on the 1750

Cassini Map The Cassini Map or Academy's Map is the first topographic and geometric map made of the Kingdom of France as a whole. It was compiled by the Cassini family, mainly César-François Cassini (Cassini III) and his son Jean-Dominique Cassini (Ca ...

and as ''Barrême'' on the 1790 version.

History

Middle Ages

Augustus conquered the Valley of Asses at the same time as the Alps, which he completed in 14 BC. At the end of the Roman Empire it is certain that the Valley of Asses was annexed by the ''

Civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () on th ...

of Sanitensium'' ( Senez) and its diocese. Barrême appears for the first time in charters in 1040 when it had been destroyed by fire. The village, which had been on the Col de Saint-Jean and fortified, was rebuilt on the plain. In 1235 the Baron of Castellane ceded his rights over Barrême to the Count of Provence. The village remained the property of the Counts of Provence until 1348 when Queen Joanna I of Naples exchanged it for land in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

. It became a fief of Villeneuve until 1748. At that time seven noble families had rights of co-lordship to the commune and five of them were resident. In 1342 the Barrême community was attached to the

viguerie In Southern France, a ''viguerie'' (; la, vicaria) was a mediaeval administrative court. A ''viguerie'' is named for the place it serves or is found in, that is, the main town of the borough, which need not be its (administrative capital). Appear ...

Robert, King of Naples Robert of Anjou ( it, Roberto d'Angiò), known as Robert the Wise ( it, Roberto il Saggio; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Ita ...

, the Count of Provence. The death of Queen Joanna I created a crisis of succession for the County of Provence with the towns of the Union of Aix (1382-1387) supporting Charles, Duke of Durazzo, against Louis I of Anjou. Aix submitted in October 1387 which precipitated the rallying of the Carlists under the lord of Barrême, Géraud de Villeneuve. While he had supported Charles de Duras for several years, he joined with his two brothers: the Lords of Gourdon and Roquebrune from

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duke ...

and obtained a "chapter of peace" from Marie de Châtillon on 2 January 1388 and paid

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to Louis II of Naples aged ten.Geneviève Xhayet
''Supporters and Adversaries of Louis of Anjou during the war of the Union of Aix''
, Historical Provence, Fédération historique de Provence, volume 40, No. 162, "About the war of the Union of Aix", 1990, p. 408 (note 33). The village community had also supported Charles de Duras and also submitted in 1386. In 1390 the village was ransomed by Raymond of Turenne. Barrême was the capital of a

bailiwick A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. The bailiwick is probably modelled on th ...

whose territory was detached from the Digne bailiwick at the end of the 14th century. It was the capital of a

from the 15th century until the French Revolution, with dependent vigueries of

Clumanc Clumanc () is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The river Asse de Clumanc flows south through the commune. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The foll ...

Lambruisse Lambruisse (; oc, Lambrueissa) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 Communes of France, ...

Tartonne Tartonne (; oc, Tartona) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. The name of the inhabitants is ''Tartonnais''. Geography Site and climate The village of Tartonne is located bottom of Valley, altitude ...

(the lands called ''Baussenques'' named after Raymond of Baux who owned the dowry of Étiennette of Provence in the 12th century),

Saint-Jacques Saint-Jacques (the French name for Saint James (disambiguation), Saint James) may refer to: Canada * Saint-Jacques Cathedral (Montreal), built in 1822 and demolished in 1973 * Saint-Jacques (electoral district), a former federal electoral distric ...

, and Chaudon, on which depended Norante. The village of Gévaudan was a separate fief to that of Barrême.

Modern times: 16th, 17th and 18th centuries

From the 16th century at least the community designated three consuls for their administration: two were elected by Barrêmois and the third by

Saint-Lions Saint-Lions is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The river Asse de Clumanc flows south through the western part of the commune. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ...

or Gévaudan alternately every other year. The village passed to the viguerie of

then Digne. In 1536, during the invasion of Provence by Charles V, all the crops of the hinterland were destroyed including those of Barrême. In 1559, Antoine de Mauvans pillaged the chapels and burned the communal archives. As a protection from the Catholic and Protestant gangs who passed along the roads a wall was erected in 1589-1590 but these walls were hastily built and very flimsy. By 1688 they had disappeared and were completely forgotten by the Barrêmois. In 1629 a

Plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

epidemic reached Barrême despite the cordon sanitaire established upstream and was devastating. Very depleted, the commune was classified as a "helpless commune" in 1639 and authorized to sell its land to pay debts of 49000 livres. A local

Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

in Barrême continued until the French Revolution. In 1703 the

Bishop of Senez The former French Catholic diocese of Senez existed from around the fifth or sixth century, until the French Revolution. Its see was at Senez, in southern France, in the modern department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. After the Concordat of 1801 the ...

Jean Soanen Jean Soanen (1647–1740) was a French Oratorian and bishop of Senez. He was a convinced Jansenist. In opposition to the papal bull ''Unigenitus'', he with Charles-Joachim Colbert, bishop of Montpellier, Pierre de la Broue who was bishop of Mire ...

destroyed the menhir. The plague of 1720 did not reach Barrême, perhaps because of the cordon sanitaire established on the Verdon.

French Revolution and Empire

List of Grievances A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List The SC Germania L ...

of the Barrême community was drafted on 29 March, at the Notre-Dame-du-Pont Chapel as the town hall was too small to accommodate the entire population. On the same day community members were elected to bring it to Digne. The news of the storming of the Bastille was welcomed as this event announced the end of royal arbitrariness and, perhaps, more profound changes in the organization of France. Immediately after the arrival of the news a large collective fear seized France. Rumours of troops of several thousand armed men formed by the aristocrats and destroying everything in their path propagated at high speed and caused panic. On hearing the alarm people armed themselves and sent messages to the neighbouring villages which spread fear. This created unity and the militias formed at that time were the basis of the battalions of the National Guard. The Great Fear, coming from Digne and part of the "fear Mâconnais" reached Barrême and its region on 31 July 1789 before dying out in the end. The fruit of the Revolution were still welcome: it allowed, for example, the commune to buy the assets of the lord, the Marquis Pierre Louis of Aiminy, in 1792 and 1794. The priest of Barrême and his vicar were sworn in under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. In January 1791, the hamlet of Saint-Lyons asked for its detachment as a commune and obtained it in March 1791. The communal ''Patriotic Society'' was among the first 21 created in the Lower Alps before June 1792. With the declaration of war on Austria in April 1792, the National Guard was organized in July, and two bells and the steeple cross were brought down to be sent for casting. Similarly, Saint-Blaise chapel was used to store fodder for the

Army of the Alps The Army of the Alps (''Armée des Alpes'') was one of the French Revolutionary armies. It existed from 1792–1797 and from July to August 1799, and the name was also used on and off until 1939 for France's army on its border with Italy. 1792� ...

and, in September, sixteen Barrêmois volunteers joined the army. On the proclamation of the Republic on 21 September, two oak trees were planted as a tree of liberty for one and a ''tree of brotherhood'' for the second. On 25 November 1794 the Representant en mission, Antoine-François Gauthier des Orcières purified the ''Popular Society'' (the club). During the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...

the Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

I passed the night of 3 to 4 March in Barrême, followed on the 5th by the royal troops in pursuit.

19th century

An epidemic of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

caused a few deaths in 1834 then 25 deaths in the summer of 1835. The village was ravaged by a flood of the Asse in 1860. The commune had some industrial development through the weaving of wool. A factory was opened in 1843 by Ravel, on the model of the Honnorat factory in Saint-André-de-Méouilles. This activity had ceased by the end of the 19th century. The coup d'état of 2 December 1851 by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte against the Second Republic provoked an armed uprising in the Basses-Alpes in defence of the Constitution. After the failure of the uprising, harsh repression continued for those who stood up to defend the Republic: 11 inhabitants of Barrême were brought before the Joint Committee with the majority being sentenced to deportation to Algeria. As with many communes in the department, Barrême adopted schools well before the Jules Ferry laws: in 1863 it had two, installed one in the main village and one in Gévaudan, both of which provided primary education for boys. No instruction was given for girls. The

Falloux Laws The Falloux Laws promoted Catholic schools in France in the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s. They were voted in during the French Second Republic and promulgated on 15 March 1850 and in 1851, following the presidential election of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte ...

(1851)require the opening of a school for girls if a commune had more than 800 inhabitants but this was not applied. With the first Duruy Law (1867), which lowered the threshold to 500 people Barrême decided to teach girls. The town benefited from the second Duruy Act (1877) to refurbish the village school. The railway was the first section of line in Provence with the section from Digne to Saint-André-les-Alpes opened on 15 May 1892. The tunnel through the Colle was completed in 1903 and the entire line between Saint-André and Nice was inaugurated August from 5 to 7 1911 in the presence of Victor Augagneur, Minister of Public Works.

20th century

During the Second World War two Jewish families from Lorraine took refuge in Barrême. They were deported on 30 March 1944 being thirteen people in total. On 4 March 1944 two officers of the Gestapo were arrested by members of the Secret Army (AS). Vines were cultivated in the commune until the middle of the 20th century for home consumption only. This culture has since been abandoned.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...

Education

The commune has a primary school. There is also a municipal library.

Facilities

Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

is located in the commune. It reports to the station at

Mézel Mézel (; oc, Mesèu) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The village lies on the right bank of the Asse, which forms all of the communes eastern border. Population See also *Communes o ...

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 432 inhabitants. Fontaine de Barrême

The demographic history of Barrême, after the decimation in the 14th and 15th centuries and the long period of slow growth until the beginning of the 19th century, is then marked by a period of "slack" when the population remained relatively stable at a high level. This period lasted most of the 19th century. The rural exodus then caused a long-term population decline. After the Second World War the town had lost more than half of its population compared to the historical peak of 1846 which was the latest high point in the department.Christiane Vidal
''Chronology and rhythms of depopulation in the department of Alpes de Haute- Provence since the beginning of the 19th century''
, Historical Provence, Vol. 21, No. 85, 1971, p. 288. The downward trend continued until the late 1990s.

Economy

Ancienne distillerie de lavande à Barrême

General overview

In 2017 the workforce totaled 186 people including 30 unemployed. These workers are mostly employees (72%) and mainly work outside the commune (60%). Most of the communal jobs are in services and trade.Dossier complet: Commune de Barrême (04022)
INSEE

Agriculture

At the end of 2015 the primary sector (agriculture, forestry) had 4 active establishments within the meaning of INSEE and provided one job. According to the Agreste survey by the Ministry of Agriculture the number of farms has been in continuous decline for a quarter century: it declined from 14 in 1988 to 11 in 2000 and 7 in 2010. These farms are Sheep and polyculture farms. From 1988 to 2000 the utilised agricultural area (UAA) increased from 1035 hectares to 1245 hectares before falling to less than 600 ha in 2010.

Industry

At the end of 2015 the secondary sector (industry and construction) had 11 establishments employing 7 employees. The commune has a sawmill.

Service activities

At the end of 2010 the tertiary sector (trade, services) had 38 establishments (with 16 employees) plus 10 administrative establishments in: health, social and education (24 employees). According to the Departmental Observatory of Tourism, the tourism function is important for the town, with between one and five tourists accommodated per capita. Most of the accommodation capacity is non-market. There are several accommodation facilities for tourists in the commune:Departmental Observatory of Tourism,
Atlas of Tourist Accommodation
', 2015 p. 40 *one unclassified hotel with 12 beds *one 3 star camping ground with 400 sites *1 3-star and 1 2-star ''Gites de France'' furnished accommodations with 10 beds *1 Guesthouse accommodation with 10 beds *2 hostels with 32 beds Second homes provide an important adjunct to capacity with 119 with a capacity of 594 beds.

Culture and heritage

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Miséricorde de Barrême

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist (1870) *A

Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...

at Saint-Jean (1849) *The Chapel of Saint John the Baptist (1664) *The Parish Church of Saint Anne at Gévaudan (1837) *The Notre-Dame du Pont Chapel at Saint-Jean (1838) The churches and chapels contain a very large number of items that are registered as historical objects.

Notable people linked to the commune

* Bernard Laurens (1741-1802), born in Barrême, deputy for Bouches-du-Rhône in the National Convention

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barreme Communes of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence