Arpajon-sur-Cère (, literally ''Arpajon on Cère''; or just ) is a commune in the

Cantal Cantal (; or ) is a rural Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour, Cantal, Saint-Flou ...

department in the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

region of south-central

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

Arpajon-sur-Cère is located immediately to the south of

Aurillac Aurillac (; ) is the prefecture of the Cantal department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. Geography Aurillac is at above sea level and located at the foot of the Cantal mountains in a small sedimentary basin. The city is b ...

some 70 km south-east of

Brive-la-Gaillarde Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of ), commonly known as simply Brive, is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the aggl ...

. The town is an extension of the urban area of Aurillac. Access to the commune is by the D920 from Aurillac which continues south to Lafeuillade-en-Vézie. The D990 also goes from south of the town to Vézac in the east. The D58 comes from Giou-de-Mamou in the north-east then goes south-west from the town to the Château de Conros and joins the D617 at the south-western border of the commune. Much of the runway of Aurillac – Tronquières Airport is in the commune. A railway passes through the north of the commune but the nearest station is in Aurillac. Apart from the town there are the villages and hamlets of: *Carbonnat *Esmoles *Le Pont *Roquetorte *Douarat *Le Bousquet *Crespiat *Le Cambon *Le Sal *Les Granges *Lapeyrusse *Carsac *Combelles *Senilhes *Les Quatre Routes *Toules Outside the residential areas there are extensive forests in the south and south-west with the rest of the commune farmland.Google Maps
/ref> The ''Jordanne'' river flows from Aurillac to join the Cère just south-west of the town with the Cère continuing west to eventually join the

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

at Girac.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The name ''Arpjon'' originates from the Gallic word ''Arpaionem'' which is composed of the word ''arepo'' meaning "plough". It was attested in 923 in the form: ''vicaria arpajonensis''. In Carladézien dialect, ''Arpajon'' is pronounced ''Olpotsou'', according to a recording there in 2007.

History

The Dejou Féniès & son and Lartigue companies were established in the commune in the 20th century manufacturing wood especially ''Jouets Dejou'' (Dejou Toys) which are highly sought after by

Doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

collectors.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Twinning

Arpajon-sur-Cère has twinning associations with: * Blyth (

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

) since 1990. * Bougouni (

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arpajonnais'' or ''Arpajonnaises'' in French.

Sites and Monuments

The commune has several sites and buildings that are registered as historical monuments: *The Birthplace of Général Milhaud at 1 Avenue du Général-Milhaud (1753) *The old Pont-de-Mamou Mill on Rue Jean-Jaurès (1772) *The Château de Conros (15th century) *The Château de Conros Park *The Château de Carbonat Park *The Château de Limagne Garden ;Other sites of interest *Barrière hamlet where Louis Laparra de Fieux was born. *The Cabrières bridge, a hamlet and a bridge which once had a toll. *The Chateau de Ganhac currently a mansion house, a former fief awarded in 1676 to Charles de Broquin who was married to Jeanne de Cambefort. *The Château de Montal, a former fief whose family was originally the Lords of Laroquebrou and Conros, with a castrale chapel under the invocation of Saint Michael. It then became the property of the La Roque-Montal family. *The Chateau de La Prade, purchased in 1756 by Marie-Françoise de Broglie, the widow of Charles Robert de Lignerac who did considerable work on the building. Ruined in the French Revolution. *The Arboretum d'Arpajon-sur-Cère *The Parish Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **2 Bronze Bells (1781) **A Painting: The Placing in the Tomb (16th century) **A framed Painting: The Baptism of Christ (17th century) **A

Sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

(

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

)Ministry of Culture, Palissy ;The Chateau de Carbonat Picture Gallery File:Château de Carbonat.jpg, The Chateau front File:Jardin château Carbonat.jpg, The Gardens File:Jardins Château Carbonat 3.jpg, The Gardens File:Vieux Château Carbonat.jpg, An old postcard of the chateau File:Carte Postale Château Carbonat.jpg, An old postcard of the chateau File:Château de Carbonat en ruines.jpg, The chateau in ruins File:Cheminé château de Carbonat.JPG, The fireplace in the chateau File:Détail cheminée Carbonat.jpg, A detail on the fireplace File:Meurtrière Carbonat.jpg, A filled-in embrasure in the chateau File:Armoiries Carbonat.jpg, Arms of Carbonat File:Porte Carbonat.jpg, A door in the chateau

Notable people linked to the commune

* Jacques de Milly,

Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller This is a list of grand masters of the Knights Hospitaller, including its continuation as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta after 1798. It also includes unrecognized "anti-grand masters" and lieutenants or stewards during vacancies. In lists ...

* Louis Laparra de Fieux (Arpajon 1651-1706), engineer of fortifications and strategist. * Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud (Arpajon 1766 - Aurillac 1833), member of the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

, General, Count of the Empire. * Eugene d'Humières, man of letters, translator of Kipling. * Louis Dauzier, politician and mayor of

under the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

. * Antoine Dusserre (Carbonnat 1865-1925), novelist. * Léo Pons, filmmaker.

References

External links

Discovery of an early Christian sarcophagus and medieval sepulchres in sarcophagi at Arpajon-sur-Cère

Arpajon-sur-Cère on the National Geographic Institute website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arpajonsurcere Communes of Cantal