Marigny-l'Église () is a commune in the

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.department 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 ...

Etymology

The name Marigny can be traced to the

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

Era. It is derived from the Latin toponym ''Mariniacus'' which comes from the

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; : ''cognomina''; from ''co-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditar ...

''Marinus''. Marigny was referenced in 13th-century documents from the bishopric of

Autun Autun () is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the e ...

where it was called ''Marrigni''. Under the

Ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

it was referred to as ''Marigny-en-Morvand'' or ''Marigny-l'Eglise-en-Morvand''.

Geography

Marigny-l'Église is located in the

Morvan The Morvan (; historically Morvand from the Latin ''Murvinnum'' 590)Pierre-Henri Billy, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la France'', éditions Errance, 640 pages, 2011 , is a mountainous massif lying just to the west of the Côte d'Or esc ...

massif. It is within the bounds of the protected area of

Morvan Regional Natural Park Morvan Regional Natural Park (, ) is a protected area of woodlands, lakes and traditional farmland in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central France. It covers a total area of and extends through four different departments with the majorit ...

. The Lac du Crescent is partially within the municipal area. There are several hiking trails in the commune.

History

Marigny-l'Église was known to be inhabited during the Celtic Era; Celtic stones called the ''Roches-des-Fées'' (lit. Fairy Rocks) are located nearby and flint axes and utensils have been found. A ruined

Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Nevertheless, the term "Roman villa" generally covers buildings with the common ...

is located near Marigny as evidenced by pottery debris, edged tiles, and medals. In 885, a band of

viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

pillagers were attacked and defeated in the forests of the upper Morvand by an army raised by Ribaud, Bishop of Auxerre. Axes and helmets have been found. Local legend refers to a granite outcropping as the ''Tomb of the Viking King'' after this battle. In the 13th century the Marigny was split into two

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

s. The house of Chastellux obtained ownership over Marigny in 1309, under whose provision it remained until the French Revolution. A tile factory operated in Marigny during the 19th century. Sixty inhabitants of Marigny were lost as casualties in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Multiple buildings were occupied by Germans during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Demographics

On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 282.

Places of Interest

Church

The parish church at the heart of the village was constructed in the 12th century and was dedicated to Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens. It was enlarged from the 15th to 17th centuries. The church and some statues were defaced during the French Revolution. The church expanded in the 19th century with a larger nave, altar, and chapel.

Château

In 1800 a modern château was built by timber seller Léonard Houdaille who became a

nouveau riche ; ), new rich, or new money (in contrast to old money; ) is a social class of the rich whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. These people previously had belonged to a lower social cla ...

during the Revolution. The two-story mansion features a garden, outbuildings, and icehouse. During the

the mansion was occupied by the Germans as a command center.

Crucifix Monument

On the road from Marigny-l'Église to Marigny-la-Ville is an old crucifix carved from granite. It features a depiction of crucified Christ on one side while the back side shows the Virgin Mary with infant Christ. It is nearly 5 meters tall..

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marignyleglise Communes of Nièvre