Ars-sur-Formans is a commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France.

Ars-sur-Formans
Commune
Coat of arms of Ars-sur-Formans
Location of Ars-sur-Formans
Map
Ars-sur-Formans is located in France
Ars-sur-Formans
Ars-sur-Formans
Ars-sur-Formans is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Ars-sur-Formans
Ars-sur-Formans
Coordinates: 45°59′34″N 4°49′25″E / 45.9928°N 4.8236°E / 45.9928; 4.8236
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentAin
ArrondissementBourg-en-Bresse
CantonVillars-les-Dombes
IntercommunalityDombes-Saône Vallée
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Richard Paccaud[1]
Area
1
5.50 km2 (2.12 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,498
 • Density270/km2 (710/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
01021 /01480
Elevation226–281 m (741–922 ft)
(avg. 240 m or 790 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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The town was served by a metre-gauge Tramway from 1897 to 1951, from Ambérieu and Cerdon

The village is in the south-western part of the Ain department 33 km north of Lyon and 10 km east of Villefranche-sur-Saône in the heart of the Dombes region, which is known for its many lagoons. Ars-sur-Formans is on the Dombes Plateau, while to the west it borders the fertile hills of the Val de Saône. A small river, the Formans, runs from east to west across the commune just south of the village to join the Saône River near Saint-Bernard.[3] The commune covers 5.50 km2 (2.12 sq mi).[4]

The D44 road from Savigneux west to Beauregard forms much of the northern border of the commune. Access to the village is by road D904 going west from Savigneux and continuing to join the D934 west of the commune. The road D888 also runs south-east of the village to Rancé.[3]

Toponymy

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The name of the commune comes from arsa ("burnt"). Long known simply as Ars, the commune changed its name to Ars-sur-Formans by a decree dated 12 October 1956, published in the Official Journal on the 18th of the same month.[5]

History

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The name Ars appeared as early as the year 969. In the 11th century, Ars was one of the many strongholds of the Lordship of Villars and his mansion was located next to the church. In 1226, Jean of Ars sold his land to the monastery of Île Barbe, but Villars retained sovereignty. In the 14th century, the protection of the castle was divided between the Lord of Villars and that of Beaujeu.

The village was burned by the troops of Viry in 1409 and was obliged to submit to the consequences of the Wars of Religion throughout the following century.

The parish of Ars belonged to the Principality of Dombes and the Châtellenie of Trévoux before being absorbed with all of the Dombes into the Kingdom of France in 1762.

In 1790, Ars was made a commune of the Ain Department. It was part of the canton of Trévoux until 1984, when it was attached to the canton of Reyrieux.[4] In 2015 it became part of the canton of Villars-les-Dombes.[6]

Since the mid-19th century, the name of Ars is associated with Jean-Marie Vianney, the former parish priest venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. Well before his 1925 canonisation by Pope Pius XI, there were already many pilgrimages to the town. On 6 October 1986, Pope John Paul II travelled to Ars-sur-Formans as part of his third visit to France.

Heraldry

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Arms of Ars-sur-Formans
Blazon:

Paly of six Or and Azure.



Administration

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The Town Hall
 
The War Memorial

List of Mayors of Ars-sur-Formans[7]

From To Name
? 1808 François Cinier
1808 1815 Antoine Mandy
1815 1821 Michel Sève
1821 1831 Antoine Mandy
1831 1838 Michel Sève
1838 1879 Claude Prosper Garnier des Garets
1879 1884 Gaspard Sève
1884 1896 Jean-Baptiste Mandy-Trève
1896 1904 Michel Verchère
1904 1912 André Benoît Trève
1912 1915 Jean-François Cinier Trève
1915 1919 Jean-Claude Mandy
1919 1944 Jean-François Cinier Trève
1944 1945 Louis Gillet
1945 1947 Antoine Mandy Demole
1947 1965 Pierre Paturel
1965 1977 Jean-Claude Dupont
1977 1983 André Gillet
1983 1995 Henri Dutruge
1995 2008 Patrick Sandron
2008 2014 Patrick Duvivier
2014 Present Richard Paccaud[1]

Twinning

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Ars-sur-Formans has twinning associations with:[8]

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 496—    
1975 480−0.47%
1982 719+5.94%
1990 851+2.13%
1999 1,102+2.91%
2007 1,264+1.73%
2012 1,380+1.77%
2017 1,408+0.40%
Source: INSEE[9]

Culture and heritage

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Civil heritage

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The commune has many sites that are registered as historical monuments:

  • The Park on the Chemin de Chateau [10]
  • The Girls' School and Orphanage of Providence (1827) [11]
  • A House at Rue des Ecoles (19th century) [12]
  • A School at Rue des Ecoles (1906) [13]
  • A House at Rue Jean-Marie Vianney (19th century) [14]
  • The Town Hall / School at Rue Jean-Marie Vianney (1840) [15]
  • The Sainte-Philomène Garden at Rue Jean-Marie Vianney [16]
  • The Chateau des Garets Park [17]
  • The Sainte-Anne Farmhouse at Champ du Chateau (19th century) [18]

Religious heritage

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The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

  • The Croix des Combes (Combes Cross) (1853) [19]
  • The Monumental Cross of the 1847 Jubilee (1847) [20] [21]
  • The Croix Micholet (Micholet Cross) (1612) [22]
  • The Croix Tonneau (Tonneau Cross) (18th century) [23]
  • The Presbytery for the Priest of Ars (18th century) [24]
  • The former Church and Basilica (12th century) [25]
  • The Garnier des Garets family Tomb (1856) [26]
  • The Presbytery (1886) [27]
  • The Presbytery of Saint Curé d'Ars (18th century) [28] The presbytery and chapel containing the preserved heart relic of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney are now a museum open to visitors. The sanctuary and its activities are managed by the Benedictine Tyburn Nuns and the Brothers of the Holy Family of Belley. 2009 marked the 150th death anniversary of Vianney; it was part of the Year for Priests that ended in 2010, and during that period the sanctuary hosted nearly 600,000 pilgrims including 35,000 priests. The Historial du Saint-Curé-d'Ars depicts the life story of the saint using 35 wax figures in 17 scenes, with period décor.[29] Ars is part of the Association of Sanctuaries in France, holding the title "Tourist Village of Ain".
  • The Parish Church of Saint-Sixte (11th century) [30] The Basilica of Ars, partly built in 1862 by the Lyon architect Pierre Bossan and his successor Sainte-Marie-Perrin, forms an extension to the old church. It enshrines the tomb of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney, who is honoured as the patron saint of all parish priests. The basilica hosts more than 500,000 visitors annually.[31]
  • The Tomb of the heart of Jean-Marie Vianney (1932) [32]

The commune has a very large number of religious items that are registered as historical objects.[citation needed]

Local life

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Religious communities

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  • Several Catholic religious communities are present in Ars: the Working Missionary Sisters (Providence House); the Franciscan Sisters (Saint-Jean House); the Carmelite Sisters; the Benedictines of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre; the Brothers of the Holy Family of Belley; and priests of the Jean-Marie Vianney Society (who use the John Paul II Sacred Hall to receive priests and operate an international seminary).

Events

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Event at the Carmel of the Holy Curé of Ars (founded 1939)
  • In 1986 and 2007, the movie-art-recreation association made two films about Carmel of the Holy Curé of Ars in the film series "Relief of France: the Monasteries" and a paper on John Paul II, during his meeting with the Carmelites on 6 October 1986.[33]

Personalities

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Google Maps
  4. ^ a b Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Ars-sur-Formans, EHESS (in French).
  5. ^ An interesting article was published on the name of the commune in 2010 in the Dombes magazine No. 31 published by the Academy of Dombes. (in French)
  6. ^ "Décret n° 2014-147 du 13 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département de l'Ain". Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  7. ^ List of Mayors of France Archived 3 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  8. ^ National Commission for Decentralised cooperation Archived 2 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  9. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968 Archived 26 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine, INSEE
  10. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000328 Park (in French)
  11. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000182 Girls' School and Orphanage of Providence (in French)
  12. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000193 House at Rue des Ecoles (in French)
  13. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000185 School at Rue des Ecoles (in French)
  14. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000196 House at Rue Jean-Marie Vianney (in French)
  15. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000184 Town Hall / School at Rue Jean-Marie Vianney (in French)
  16. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000329 Sainte-Philomène Garden (in French)
  17. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000330 Chateau des Garets Park (in French)
  18. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000199 Sainte-Anne Farmhouse at Champ du Chateau (in French)
  19. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000299 Croix des Combes (in French)
  20. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000302 Monumental Cross of the 1847 Jubilee (in French)
  21. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM01000914 Statue: (in French) 
  22. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000297 Croix Micholet (in French)
  23. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000298 Croix Tonneau (in French)
  24. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00116295 Presbytery for the Priest of Ars (in French)
  25. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00116294 Church and Basilica (in French)
  26. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000286 Garnier des Garets family Tomb (in French)
  27. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000179 Presbytery (in French)
  28. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000178 Presbytery of Saint Curé d'Ars (in French)
  29. ^ Museum of Ars Archived 22 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  30. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000171 Parish Church of Saint-Sixte (in French)
  31. ^ 525,000 visitors at Ars-sur-Formans: the consecration of religious tourism Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, consulted on 23 May 2011, author Marc Dazy (in French).
  32. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA01000177 Tomb of the heart of Jean-Marie Vianney (in French)
  33. ^ This archived document is visible in the video: Dialogue at Carmel of Saint Curé of Ars on cine-art-loisir.com Archived 22 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine by Jean Claude Guerguy, Director (in French)
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