Bédée (; br, Bezeg;

Gallo Gallo may refer to: *Related to Gaul: ** Gallo-Roman culture **Gallo language, a regional language of France **Gallo-Romance, a branch of Romance languages **Gallo-Italic or Gallo-Italian language, a branch spoken in Northern Italy of the Romance ...

: ''Bedésc'') is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

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, ...

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019.

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

.
It is located in the North West of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and is labeled as a

village étape A Village étape (France) or a Village relais (Québec) is a small town, typically under five thousand people, designated to provide a complete set of services for national or provincial highway travellers. While most do provide natural or cultural ...

since 2009.

Etymology

The name of Bédée would come from the Gaulish "Bedo" (= pit) or "betu" (= birch) and the suffix -iscum. The transcription of the name has changed: Bedesc in 1120, Bidisco in 1122 Bedensi in 1152, Bédec in 1187 and Bédiscum in 1330. It is from the 15th century that the name of Bédée appeared in its actual writing.
It can be mentioned that there is a character named Bède the venerable, a monk living in England during the 8th century. This rare name looks curiously like Bédée. Some

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

monks colonised

in a distant past and left their name: Saint Méen,

Saint Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

, etc. Searches in that direction could enable to consolidate this hypothesis.

Geography

Bédée is a town located in

Montfort-sur-Meu Montfort-sur-Meu (, literally ''Montfort on Meu''; br, Moñforzh) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in the northwest of France. It is noted ...

county. It is at 20 km in the North West of Rennes and is surrounded by

Iffendic Iffendic (; ; Gallo: ''Fendic'') is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany. It is located in the North West of France. Geography The towns nearby are Montfort-sur-Meu, La Nouaye, Bédée, Pleumeleuc, Saint-Gonlay, Talensac a ...

La Nouaye La Nouaye () is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany in the northwest of France. Population Inhabitants of La Nouaye are called ''Lanoysiens'' in French.Breteil Breteil (; br, Brezhiel) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. It is located in northwestern France. Geography The river Meu forms the commune' ...

Pleumeleuc Pleumeleuc (; ; Gallo: ''Ploemenoec'') is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany in the northwest of France. Geography The town of Pleumeleuc is part of the county of Montfort-sur-Meu and of the town of Rennes. It stretches o ...

Talensac Talensac (; ; Gallo: ''Talanczac'') is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany in the northwest of France. Geography The river Meu forms all of the commune's eastern border. Located at 20 km in the West of Rennes in the pe ...

Saint-Gonlay Saint-Gonlay (; Local pronunciation: Saint Gonlâ) is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany in the northwest of France. Geography The Meu river goes through the town. There are 280 inhabitants in Saint-Gonlay and the terri ...

History

Prehistory

During Prehistory, humans lived on the actual territory of Bédée. Indeed, prehistorical tools have been found (ex: polished axe) in villages such as la Morinais, la Rioulais and la Motte Besnard. Archaeological excavations took place in 2011 on the site of the ZAC du Pont-aux-Chèvres and enabled to find a site dated from the Bronze Age.

Gallo-Roman period

During the Gallo-Roman period, men also lived on the territory of Bédée. Excavations have also been done and we found ceramics, vases, piece of pottery, and above all a statuette of a mother goddess in red terra cotta in the village of la Métairie Neuve.

Middle Ages

It is from the 10th century that feudal mottes were developed. They were the first castles, built in wood and on heights, on mounds of earth. One of these feudal mottes can be found at the entrance of the town; it is the motte Jubin. In 1122, Donoald, the bishop of Aleth gave the monks of Saint-Melaine de Rennes abbey the priory of Bédée which became then a parish. But it has been politically taken in charge by the Lord of

who took taxes and who did justice.

Modern Times

The Lord Charles de Botherel, adviser in the Parliament of Brittany, proclaimed the town of Bédée independent in 1715. In 1744, he became Lord of Bédée. To show its prosperity, the town of Bédée knew a strong development of manors and castles at this time (The manor of the Blavon, destroyed in 1930).

French Revolution

The population of the town is in favour of the changes brought by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, above all after the end of the reign of the Terror. The major revolutionary event is the one celebrating the execution of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

, accompanied by a hatred oath to the royalty and to the anarchy. It is celebrated since 1795.Louis Dubreuil, « Fêtes révolutionnaires en Ille-et-Vilaine », in Annales de Bretagne, volume 21, tome 4, 1905, p. 398-399

Population

Tourism

Tourism management in Montfort-sur-Meu" is entrusted by Montfort Community to the Tourist Office of the district of Montfort.

Sights

Buildings

Saint-Pierre Saint-Louis church The actual church has been built between 1885 and 1888 by the architect Arthur Regnault.

Touristic sites

Pond of Blavon The pond of Blavon is located at 1,5 km from the town and offers a pleasant environment to fishermen and tourists. Several hiking paths enable to discover the site and an educational path links the pond to the town centre of Bédée. Circuit de la Primaudière The starting point is at the church of Bédée. The circuit is 11,5 km long and lasts 3h00. Most paths are passable the whole year with no difficulty. The circuit goes next to the town of Pleumeleuc and Breteil. Circuit Nord The starting point is next to the church of Bédée. The circuit goes all the way to the town of Irodouër. It is 14 km long and lasts about 3h00. File:EGLISE BEDEE.JPG, Church of Bédée File:Etang du blavon.JPG, Pond of Le Blavon File:La motte Jubin.JPG, Feudal motte also known as the motte Jubin

References

External links

Official website

Mayors of Ille-et-Vilaine Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedee Communes of Ille-et-Vilaine