Espinasse (; ) is a commune in the

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285.department in

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 ...

in 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 ...

. Small farming village in the

Pays In France, a ''pays'' () is an area whose inhabitants share common geographical, economic, cultural, or social interests, who have a right to enter into communal planning contracts under a law known as the Loi Pasqua or LOADT (''Loi d'Orientation ...

of Combrailles, in the canton of Saint-Éloy-les-Mines, the village is nestled in a hollow, about nine kilometers west of the town of Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne. During the

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 ...

and the

Early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

, the region of Combrailles was of paramount importance at territorial level because it was located at the crossroads of several lordships (Bourbonnais, Auvergne and Limousin). Therefore, the town of Espinasse suffered this proximity and was divided into fiefs belonging among others to the House of Le Loup, the

House of Montmorency The House of Montmorency () was one of the oldest and most distinguished noble families in France. Origins The family name Montmorency derived from their castle in the ''pays de France'', recorded in Latin as ''Mons Maurentiacus'', in 993. '' ...

and the

House of La Fayette The House of La Fayette was a French family of Nobles of the Sword, from the province of Auvergne (province), Auvergne, established during the Middle Ages by the lords of the Fee (feudal tenure), fief of Aix-la-Fayette, La Fayette held by the se ...

Geography

Espinasse is located some 30 km west of

Combronde Combronde (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Puy-de-Dôme Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department References

Communes of Puy-de-Dôme ...

and 23 km north-west of

Bromont-Lamothe Bromont-Lamothe () is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. It is the birthplace of the French film director Robert Bresson. Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The fol ...

. Access to the commune is by the D 13 from Charensat in the south-west which passes through the commune and the village before continuing north to

Pionsat Pionsat (; ) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department *Treasure of Pionsat The Treasure of Pionsat is a collection of Arverni coins discovered in 1852 at Pion ...

. The D 62 comes from Saint-Priest-des-Champs in the south-east. The D 18 comes from Saint-Julien-la-Geneste in the north-east. The D 528 comes from Bussières in the north-west. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.Google Maps
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Neighbouring communes and villages

Source:Géoportail

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

Administration

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Espinassois'' or ''Espinassoises'' in French.Le nom des habitants du 63 - Puy-de-Dôme
habitants.fr

Culture and heritage

Cultural events and festivities

The Hay Fest (''La Fête des Foins'' in French) is the main festival in the village since 1998. It takes place in July.

Tourist monuments and places

*The Church of St. Martin, very old, is partly Romanesque but was changed to the 2nd Gothic era. A statuary element painted white stone shows St. Margaret of Antioch slaying the dragon. It dates from the fifteenth century. Saint Martin is the patron of the parish but is also under the protection of Saint Gal, second patron. *The local school, completed in 1900, was also a town hall. The building was called Mairie-École at the time. *The Résistance site at Cacherat - Camp Gabriel Peri - which received on 23 October 1943, one of the two groups of escapees from the prison of

Le Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, ; , before 1988: ''Le Puy'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Loire Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of south-central France. Located near the rive ...

. *The Château of Pierrebrune, dating from the thirteenth century, rebuilt to modern, was the residence of the lords of Espinasse. In June 1440 during the Praguerie, King Charles VII, who came from

Auzances Auzances (; Auvergnat: ''Ausança'') is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography A small farming and light industrial town situated by the left bank of the river La Noisette, not far fro ...

and went to Montaigut-en-Combraille, passed through Pierrebrune. *The War Memorial in front of the church. Espinasse (Puy-de-Dôme) école.JPG, The local school Cacherat.jpg, The Resistance site at Cacherat Espinasse (Puy-de-Dôme) monument aux morts.JPG, The War Memorial Espinasse (Puy-de-Dôme) église (01).JPG, The Church of St. Martin

References

External links

Espinasse website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinasse, Puy-De-Dome Communes of Puy-de-Dôme