Châteauneuf-Miravail (; oc, Chastèunòu-Miravalh) 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 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

The Jabron and Druigne rivers run through Châteauneuf-Miravail.

History

An altar to the Roman god

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

dates back to the

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

era. Charters for the locality first appeared in the 12th century, when Châteauneuf-Miravail acted as a stronghold for the town of

Saint-Vincent-sur-Jabron Saint-Vincent-sur-Jabron (; oc, Sant Vincenç de Jabron) 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 t ...

. In 1792, during the revolution, a patriotic society was formed in the town. Following the decree of the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year Nationa ...

of October 16, 1793 for towns holding names reminiscent of royalty or feudalism to create new names, the community became known as Auche-la-Garde.

Population

Inhabitants are known as ''Castelnovins''.

Sights

The Jabron valley is dominated by the ruins of the 17th century Chateau Graves. On the Aouche la Garde ridge stand a tower and curtain wall, now in ruins, which survey the Jabron and Chateauneuf valleys. In Lange, the principal section of the commune, one home is inscribed with the date 1620 on its lintel. The church of Saint Mari (also Saint Mary) in Lange is considered exceptional by French historian Raymond Collier, who gives the building considerable attention in his book ''La Haute-Provence monumentale et artistique''. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

of the church are barrel vaulted. The apse is rectangular in shape with a flat chevet. The posterior walls of each

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...

are of original 17th century construction, a rarity for the region. The current facade has been modified from the original. The wall and bell tower are on the same axis, but a different axis from that of the nave. The

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

and the nave are of typical construction for the late 13th and early 14th century period in which they were built. The church holds a statue of Saint Mary. The image of the

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

contained within the church shows

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

on the cross, with the Virgin and two unidentified people to his left. The image is unusual in that it is surrounded by two penitent figures. A painting of

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79 (traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327, also called Rock in English, is a Catholic saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he is especially invoked a ...

, as a pilgrim with his dog, with the patron saint of the church can also be seen. This painting is rare in that Saint Roch is typically depicted in sculpture rather than pictorial image. Another painting dating to 1687, although painted in a post-primitive style, represents Saint Joseph holding a scepter and book. On each of his sides stand Saint Patrick and

Saint Eloi Saint Eligius (also Eloy, Eloi or Loye; french: Éloi; 11 June 588 – 1 December 660 AD) is the patron saint of goldsmiths, other metalworkers, and coin collectors. He is also the patron saint of veterinarians, the Royal Electrical and Mechani ...

. The painting is considered to be an historic monument.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateauneufmiravail Communes of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia