Belley
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Belley (Arpitan: Bèlê) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.
Contents
History
Belley is of Roman origin, and in the 5th century became an episcopal see. It was the capital of the province of Bugey, which was a dependency of Savoy till 1601, when it was ceded to France. In 1385 the town was almost entirely destroyed by an act of incendiarism, but was subsequently rebuilt by the dukes of Savoy, who surrounded it with ramparts of which little is left.[1]
Belley was the birthplace of the epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
Ecclesiastical history
Belley was the seat of the Bishop of Belley and the location of Belley Cathedral. Belley is the home region of St. Peter Chanel, the famous 19th-century Marist missionary matryr and proto-martyr of Oceania.
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 4,197 | — |
| 1800 | 3,727 | −11.2% |
| 1806 | 3,775 | +1.3% |
| 1821 | 4,166 | +10.4% |
| 1831 | 4,286 | +2.9% |
| 1836 | 3,970 | −7.4% |
| 1841 | 3,821 | −3.8% |
| 1846 | 4,474 | +17.1% |
| 1851 | 4,867 | +8.8% |
| 1856 | 4,879 | +0.2% |
| 1861 | 4,792 | −1.8% |
| 1866 | 4,624 | −3.5% |
| 1872 | 4,684 | +1.3% |
| 1876 | 4,970 | +6.1% |
| 1881 | 5,622 | +13.1% |
| 1886 | 6,160 | +9.6% |
| 1891 | 6,295 | +2.2% |
| 1896 | 6,070 | −3.6% |
| 1901 | 6,467 | +6.5% |
| 1906 | 5,707 | −11.8% |
| 1911 | 6,182 | +8.3% |
| 1921 | 6,536 | +5.7% |
| 1926 | 4,739 | −27.5% |
| 1931 | 5,126 | +8.2% |
| 1936 | 5,815 | +13.4% |
| 1946 | 5,308 | −8.7% |
| 1954 | 5,470 | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 5,958 | +8.9% |
| 1968 | 7,049 | +18.3% |
| 1975 | 7,583 | +7.6% |
| 1982 | 7,981 | +5.2% |
| 1990 | 7,807 | −2.2% |
| 1999 | 8,004 | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 8,750 | +9.3% |
Economy
The town is famed for its cheese, la Tome de Belley, also known as Chevret or still "Le pavé d'Affinois". It is also at the centre of the Bugey wine region. It is also home to a sizeable Volvo production unit producing compact excavators, Comatel and Ciat.
Personalities
Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas lived in Belley.[2]
French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was born and lived in Belley and served as its mayor for some time.
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belley. |
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- ↑
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. - ↑ Life and Letters: Gertrude Stein's War: The New Yorker
