Saint-Gengoux-le-National
Encyclopedia
Saint-Gengoux-le-National is a commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...

 department in the region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...

 of Bourgogne
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...

 in eastern France.

It was formerly known as Saint-Gengoux-le-Royal.

History

In the 10th century, the church of Saint-Gengoux was given to the abbey of Cluny
Cluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...

. In the 12th century, the abbot of Cluny
Abbot of Cluny
The Abbot of Cluny was the head of the powerful monastery of Cluny Abbey in medieval France. The following is a list.-List of abbots:-References:...

 requested king Louis VII install a lord of the manor with Saint-Gengoux in order to ensure the safety of the city.

At the revolution, Saint-Gengoux-le-Royal took the name of Saint-Gengoux-le-National. It reverted to Saint-Gengoux-le-Royal is 1834, Saint-Gengoux-le-National in 1848, Saint-Gengoux-le-Royal in 1852 before finally settling on Saint-Gengoux-le-National in 1881.

Notable buildings

The church was built in 1120 by the Benedictines of Cluny. It measures 41 m in length and 16 m wide. It was plundered several times and has been heavily restored. The most recent enhancement has been the replacement of the metal bridge between the towers with a wooden one, more in keeping with the Burgundian style. In 1802, three vaults contiguous to the church were destroyed to build a corn exchange on their site.

There are many historic properties from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Transport

The railway station at Saint-Gengoux-le-National was opened in 1880 on the Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....

 to Mâcon
Mâcon
Mâcon is a small city in central France. It is prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, called Mâconnais.-Geography:...

 railway line.

After the closure of the railway, in 1996 the 44 km of trackbed from Givry
Givry
-France:Givry is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Givry, in the Ardennes département* Givry, in the Saône-et-Loire département* Givry, in the Yonne département* Givry-en-Argonne, in the Marne département...

 to Cluny
Cluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...

has been paved and converted into a cycle route known as the Voie Verte. There are several locations along the route where cycles may be hired, including the station at Saint-Gengoux-le-National.

External links

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