Vertaizon (; oc, Vartaizon) 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 ...

of 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, ...

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; oc, label=Auvergnat, lo Puèi de Doma or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152.region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

. It is part of the

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...

.INSEE commune file
/ref>

Geography

Location

Vertaizon is built on a hill giving a view on the

Limagne The Limagne () is large plain in the Auvergne region of France in the valley of the Allier river, on the edge of the Massif Central. It lies entirely within the ''département'' of Puy-de-Dôme. The term is sometimes used to include this, and t ...

and

Pont-du-Château Pont-du-Château (; oc, label=Auvergnat dialect, Auvergnat, Pont dau Chastèl; literally 'Bridge of the Castle') is a Communes of France, commune in the Puy-de-Dôme Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. ...

from its summit, where is situated the ''ancienne église'' ("the Ancient church") and the wall from the former castle (destroyed on the orders of

Cardinal de Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

during the 17th century). The commune stretches from the foot of the hill to the

lieu-dit ''Lieu-dit'' (; plural: ''lieux-dits'') (literally ''said-location'') is a French toponymic term for a small geographical area bearing a traditional name. The name usually refers to some characteristic of the place, its former use, a past event, ...

Chignat.

History

The ''foire de Chignat'' ("fair of Chignat"), former "melons' fair", is one of the oldest fairs in France: its oldest occurrence in documents is from 1303. This event takes place every year at the beginning of September in the field near the Castle of Chignat. In 1195, the lordship of Vertaizon belonged to the troubadour Pons de Chapteuil, who was eventually attacked by bishop

Robert de Clermont Robert of Clermont (1256 – 7 February 1317) was a French '' prince du sang'' who was created Count of Clermont in 1268. He was the sixth and last son of King Louis IX (Saint Louis) and Margaret of Provence.''Bourbon'', John Bell Henneman Jr ...

, at war with his brother the count Guy II d'Auvergne, a close friend of the lord of the city.

Population

Economy

The town possess a commercial area and two Adapei (''Association Départementale des Amis et Parents de Personnes Handicapées Mentales'', "Departmental Association of Friends and Relatives of Mentally Disabled Persons").

Shops

Eight shops were identified in 2014 : one grocery store, three bakers, one library-newspaper seller, one watchmaker-jeweler and two florists.

Cultural aspects

Landmarks and monuments

* Ruins of the castle (on a private property) * Old church "Notre-Dame" from the 13th century Vertaison-Eglise du 13eme Siecle-1.jpg, Back view Vertaison-Eglise du 13eme Siecle-2.jpg, Interior

Famous personalities

* Pons de Chapteuil, troubadour from

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

Prosper Marilhat Antoine-George-Prosper Marilhat, usually known as Prosper Marilhat, (26 March 1811 – 13 September 1847) was a French Orientalist painter. Many of his most successful works were based on the sketches he drew during the time he spent in Egypt i ...

, painter * Xavier Esterre de la Fonseca, professional football player

References

Communes of Puy-de-Dôme {{PuyDôme-geo-stub