Source-Seine (), known as ''Source Seine'' during the first few months after its formation, is a commune in the

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

department in eastern

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 ...

. It was formed on 1 January 2009 when

Saint-Germain-Source-Seine Saint-Germain-Source-Seine () was a former Communes of the Côte-d'Or department, commune in the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department in eastern France. On 1 January 2009, Saint-Germain-Source-Seine was merged with Blessey to form the new ...

was merged with Blessey. Its

demonym A demonym (; ) or 'gentilic' () is a word that identifies a group of people ( inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place ( hamlet, village, town, city, region, ...

is ''Sequanien'' (masculine/mixed plural) or ''Sequanienne'' (feminine), most likely named after

Sequana In Gallo-Roman religion, Sequana is the goddess of the river Seine, particularly the Spring (hydrology), springs at the Source-Seine#Geography, source of the Seine. Although the origins of the goddess are Celtic, Sequana was subsequently integrate ...

, the goddess of the river

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

Geography

Source-Seine is located northwest of

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

. There are two ''hameaux'' or

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

in Source-Seine : Saint-Germain (originally

), and Blessey. True to its name, within Source-Seine is the source of the

, in woods off the D103 road approximately 2 km Southeast by east of the cluster of buildings in Saint-Germain, or 3 km East by south of the cluster of buildings in Blessey. The Seine rises at an elevation of in this wooded area, from waters in several closely clustered ditches/depressions. France's second-longest river (after the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

), the Seine then flows before it passes between the coastal communes of

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

and

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from Le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Hon ...

, on the

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

coast, into the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. Source-Seine borders the communes of Frôlois to the north-west, Chanceaux to the north, Poncey-sur-l'Ignon to the north-east, Bligny-le-Sec to the south-east, Salmaise to the south and Boux-sous-Salmaise to the south-west.

History

What is now Source-Seine saw Gaulic pilgrimage beginning in the 1st century BC. In the late 4th century AD, Roman Emperor

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He won two civil wars and was instrumental in establishing the Nicene Creed as the orthodox doctrine for Nicene C ...

ordered the closure of pagan temples at the Seine's source and gave their property to Christian institutions. In accordance with this edict, in the 5th century the abbey of Sainte-Marie-de-Cestra, the closest religious institution to the Seine's source, received a donation from the Roman government. In the 17th century, rumors of healing powers in the Seine were circulating around Paris. This led to the construction of a grotto dedicated to the Seine Nymph and financed by its residents in the 19th century. The city of Paris officially bought the source of the Seine in 1864. Modern times have seen a wave of coin throwers flocking to the river's source. The commune of Source-Seine was formed on 1 January 2009 when

was fused with Blessey.

Name history

The name ''Source-Seine'' originated during the French Revolution when the ruling of 22

frimaire Frimaire () was the third month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the French word ''frimas'' 'frost'. Frimaire was the third month of the autumn quarter (''mois d'automne''). It started between 21 November and 23 Novem ...

of year II of the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (), was founded on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. The First Republic lasted un ...

(12 December 1793) stipulated that a commune could not be named after a saint or contain any religious references. As a result, the name of Saint-Germain-Source-Seine (which was then called ''Sainct Germain la Fæuille'' or ''Saint-Germain-la-Feuille'') was changed to ''Source-Seine''. The municipal order stated that 'the name of the commune of Saint-Germain-la-Feuille will change to the name of Source-Seine, taking this name from the way the Seine river has its source on the territory of the commune.' Saint-Germain-Source-Seine was renamed ''Saint-Germain-la-Feuille'' in 1815 during the Bourbon Restoration. In 1868, the town council requested that the words 'la-Feuille' be replaced by 'Source-Seine', which they were following a decree by President MacMahon on 22 July 1875. The name ''Source-Seine'' was revived when Saint-Germain-Source-Seine was merged with Blessey. After Saint-Germain-Source-Seine and Blessey merged, following a local consultation, the prefectoral decree and the ''

Journal Officiel de la République Française The ''Official Journal of the French Republic'' (), also known as the ''JORF'' or ''JO'', is the government gazette of the French Republic. It publishes the major legal official information from the national Government of France, the French Pa ...

'' referred to the commune as ''Source Seine'' (without a hyphen), which was against the rules regarding the naming of political and administrative entities. The JORF quickly corrected the name and changed it to ''Source-Seine'', and the

Code officiel géographique The ' () is a document listing the INSEE code The INSEE code ( ) is a numerical indexing code used by the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France), French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies ...

followed.

Politics and administration

Successive list of mayors *2009-2010 - Jean-Louis Bornier,

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, teacher *2011-2014 - Marie-Jeanne Fournier, independent, activity leader *2014-2026 - Sophie Louet, independent, salesperson

Economy

The area around Source-Seine is noted for its wine. Grain and livestock are also farmed there, as well as the area being attractive to tourists.

Places of interest

Saint-Germain-Source-Seine - La source de la Seine - 034

* , a park owned by the city of Paris which contains the source of the river Seine and the first bridges across the river, including a nymph statue at the source of the river. The park is popular with tourists. * Notre-Dame church, with a 12th century

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

with

arrowslit An arrowslit (often also referred to as an arrow loop, loophole or loop hole, and sometimes a balistraria) is a narrow vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows or a crossbowman can launch Crossbow bolt, bolts ...

s, an 18th century nave and a bell tower. There is a stone with a

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 ...

inscription, originally from the Gallo-Roman sanctuary at the sources of the Seine and reused. * Sainte-Anne of Blessey chapel. * Three statues made of multicolored wood. * 8th century

sarcophagi 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 σάρξ ' meaning "flesh", and φ� ...

, made with reused stone, on the walls of the cemetery. * Cemetery with a 12th century sculpture of Christ's head embedded in the wall near the entry, and a 17th century cross. * 18th century calvaries at crossroads, one next to the 'tilleul de la liberté' (freedom tree, planted to signify freedoms gained in the French Revolution) and another in front of the Diocese house. * Lime trees dated from the 18th century, including one planted during the French Revolution, referred to as 'arbre de la Liberté'. * Two monuments commemorating WWI deaths, one for Saint-Germain and the other for Blessey. * Wash house at Blessey.

Sister towns

* Verghereto (

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

) since 2002. The commune of

signed a 'Charte d'amitié' (friendship charter) with the commune of Verghereto in 2001 and a sister town agreement in 2002. The commune of Source-Seine has been twinned with Verghereto since the fusion of the two communes. The source of the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

, the river that passes through

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(which is a sister city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) is located in Verghereto. The partnership is therefore between two communes which contain the sources of rivers that traverse European capital cities.