Essoyes () 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

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 ...

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

artist

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "R ...

had a house in the town. The village, hometown of his wife Aline and model and governess of his children

Gabrielle Renard Gabrielle Renard (August 1, 1878 – February 26, 1959) was a French woman who became an important member of the family of the painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, first becoming their nanny, and subsequently a frequent model for the artist. The bond ...

, is represented in many of his paintings.

Geography

Essoyes is a quiet

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

village located about thirty miles south of

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...

, on the banks of the

Ource The Ource () is a long river in northeastern France, a right tributary of the river Seine. Its source is in the Haute-Marne department, 2 km south of Poinson-lès-Grancey. It flows generally northwest. It joins the Seine at Bar-sur-Seine. ...

river. The Ource, a tributary of the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

, was well loved by Renoir. With 745 inhabitants, the thirteen square mile village is found at the center of Champagne's Côte des Bar, on the border of Champagne and Bourgogne.

History

Abbé Petel, born in Essoyes, recorded the history of the village in two volumes written in 1895. The existence of inhabitants at the site of Essoyes on the Ource river can be traced as far back as the time of the Celts. Written evidence of the village first appeared in the ninth century.

Molesme Abbey Molesme Abbey was a well-known Benedictine monastery in Molesme, in Laignes, Côte-d'Or, Burgundy, on the border of the Dioceses of Langres and Troyes. History Molesme Abbey was founded in 1075 by Robert, a former prior of the Abbey of Montie ...

exerted a strong influence over Essoyes, as the town was solidly situated between Molesme and Clairvaux. The town was held under the proprietorship of the Sommievre family until 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 ...

. At the center of the town once stood the ancient church of Saint-Remi, among the most remarkable Romanesque buildings in the

Aube Aube () is a French department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),paper-making Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is made using industrial machinery, while handmade paper survives as a speciali ...

was a major industry in the area, and production continued until the end of the eighteenth century. On 12 March 1763, Essoyes was ravaged by a fire. At that time, most houses were built of wood, with thatched roofs, and only the few homes constructed of stone were spared. Only once in its history has Essoyes experienced a division. In 1894, the town of

took over the property of Servigny as it offered the town a much needed source of water. In Servigny is located an eleventh-century edifice that served as a chapel dedicated to Saint Bernard. Today the chapel is an historic monument. Saint Bernard, the founder of

Clairvaux Abbey Clairvaux Abbey (, ; la, Clara Vallis) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, from Bar-sur-Aube. The original building, founded in 1115 by St. Bernard, is now in ruins; the present structure dates from 1708. Clairvaux Abbey was ...

, liked to take time to rest in this area between Molesme and Clairvaux. The French Revolution saw Essoyes classified within the district of

Bar-sur-Seine Bar-sur-Seine (, literally ''Bar on Seine'') is a commune in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of north-central France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Barrois'' or ''Barroises'' and ''Barséquanais'' or ''Barséquanais ...

. From the seventh century until 1926, the town was a part of the ancient arrondissement of Bar-sur-Seine. In 1926, Essoyes became a part of the arrondissement of Troyes. The old château, bought and expanded by Olympe Heriot at the end of the nineteenth century, was bought back by the town in 1936. A school was set up in the left wing of the building, and the tax office in the right wing. The Darras school, which came about as a private establishment at the beginning of the twentieth century, was later transformed into the rectory in the 1920s. Since September 2001, the building has acted as the town's library and community center.

Population

Sights

* The Maison de la Vigne, located in the château stables and constructed between 1890 and 1892 by Olympe Heriot * The workshop of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, constructed in 1905 in the garden of his family home on rue de l'Extra * The cemetery, where the tomb of Renoir, his son

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...

, and Auguste Heriot can be found

Personalities

* Auguste Heriot (1826–1879), co-founder of the Grands Magasins du Louvre * Olympe Heriot (1833–1899), brother of Auguste Heriot, director of the Grands Magasins du Louvre and founder of the Orphelinat-Ecole Heriot *Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style.

Geography

History

Population

Sights

Personalities

See also