Ambronay () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Ain department in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

of eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Geography

The commune of Ambronay is at the centre of a semicircle of mountains at the foot of the westernmost foothills of the

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Fre ...

and is bordered in the west by the river Ain. Ambronay is located some 50 km west of

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...

and some 50 km north-east of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

. The A42 autoroute (E611) traverses the western part of the commune from north to south with an exit to the D12 near the hamlet of Genoud. The D1075 road runs parallel to and east of the Autoroute from

Pont-d'Ain Pont-d'Ain (, literally ''Bridge of Ain'') is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ain department *List of medieval bridges in France The list of medieval bridges in France comprises al ...

in the north to

Saint-Denis-en-Bugey Saint-Denis-en-Bugey (, literally ''Saint-Denis in Bugey'') is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Geography The town lies on the left bank of the river Albarine, which forms all of the commune's northern border. Population ...

in the south. The D12 and D12A road runs from

Priay Priay () is a commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. People from Priay are known as ''Priaysiens''. Population See also *Communes of the Ain department The following is a list of the 393 comm ...

in the west through the commune to the village. The D36 road also runs north-east from the D1075 from the southern border of the commune to the village and continues north-east to Saint-Jean-le-Vieux. there are also numerous local roads covering the whole commune. A railway line runs from Pont d'Ain in the north to Amberieu-en-Bugey in the south parallel to and near the D1075 road. There is a railway station ( Ambronay-Priay) in the commune west of the village just north of the D12A road. It is a rural commune with a land area of 3,355 hectares of which 720 are wooded - mostly in the east. There are a number of hamlets in the commune. These are: * Championnierre * Chenavieux * Coutelieu * Genoud * Les Ambrines * Longeville * Malafan * Merland * Vorgey The highest point is at a place called ''le Morimont'' which rises to 643m; on the plain the lowest point is 299m near the hamlet of Genoud. The Ain river flows to the south just west of the commune and a number of streams flow from the commune to this river including the ''Cozance'' and the ''Seymard''. There are a number of small lakes to the north of the village.

Toponymy

The name ''Ambronay'' probably comes from the

Helvetii The Helvetii ( , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. According to Juliu ...

tribe of

Ambrones The Ambrones ( grc, Ἄμβρωνες) were an ancient tribe mentioned by Roman authors. They are generally believed to have been a Germanic tribe from Jutland. In the late 2nd century BC, along with the fellow Cimbri and Teutons, the Ambrone ...

which was part of the Kimro-Teutons people according to the terminology adopted by

Amédée Thierry Amédée Simon Dominique Thierry (2 August 1797, Blois, Loir-et-Cher27 March 1873, Paris), French journalist and historian, was the younger brother of Augustin. Biography Amédée Thierry began life as a journalist (after an essay, like his br ...

in the 19th century.

History

Roman remains are evidence of the distant origins of Ambronay. An Irish monk initially founded an abbey of women. Then in 800 Saint Barnard, an officer of the court of Charlemagne, undertook the restoration of the original buildings and installed a monastery which followed the

rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

. He obtained full independence for the abbey and, over the centuries, it became increasingly powerful. In a papal bull of 1051

Pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...

attested to that independence. Greed and many wars, however, led to the Abbey asking the Savoyards for protection in 1282. Ambronay was then fortified. In 1470 the city had its current coat of arms and in 1601 it was attached to the kingdom of France by the Treaty of Lyon. Biron levelled the Dauphine tower and the decline of the Abbey continued until 1652 when it was attached to the rich congregation of monks of Saint Maur. Large restoration works were undertaken. The

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

removed all religious orders on 12 July 1790 and everything from Ambronay was scattered. The cloister was converted into a prison. In 1793 Albitte pulled down the abbey tower. It was not until 21 December 1889 that Canon Garcin and MP Alexandre Bérard obtained the beginning of the classification as a historical monument of the Abbey, followed in 1905 by the cloister. The town has had its present form since 1762. The main street was then famous but then lost its covered walkway, the northern quarter, and two of its three gates. Only the Gargouille gate has been preserved. Ambronay appears as ''Ambronay'' on the 1750

Cassini Map The Cassini Map or Academy's Map is the first topographic and geometric map made of the Kingdom of France as a whole. It was compiled by the Cassini family, mainly César-François Cassini (Cassini III) and his son Jean-Dominique Cassini (Ca ...

and the same on the 1790 version. A military camp was located on the plain in 1916 to provide bread to soldiers at the front during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. It finally closed in June 2008. The International Baroque Music Festival was created in 1980. In 2003 the Cultural Encounter Centre of Ambronay was opened. The restoration of old buildings continues and was a part of the French government project ''1000 Projets'' in 2009.

Heraldry

Administration

List of mayors of Ambronay

Population

Economy

Financial year 2008

;Elements of calculation *Total population DGF = 2,316 *Potential 4 taxes = 1,250,326 *Financial potential = 1,533,145 *Financial potential by population DGF = ~ 661.98 *Financial potential per capita stratum = ~ 727.92 ;Main financial resources *Buildings (before capping) = 255,016 *Undeveloped land (before capping) = 30,713 *Housing tax (before capping) = 200,943 *Block grant = 499,653 *assets of Urban solidarity (DSU) = 6,776 *Total assets (Lump - DSU - DSR - DNP) = 506,429 Total per population by DGF = ~ 218.66 The commune of Ambronay has a total of about 800 households, whose average income (in 2004) was around €16,200 / year. More than half of households had two vehicles (average of less than one third nationally). The working population is about 1,000 with an unemployment rate above 9%. The commune has 82 business enterprises with core businesses being trades, construction, and particularly services.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of sites that are registered as historical monuments: *Fort Sarrazin (1323) *The Chateau of Silans Park *The Town Hall Park. The Town Hall is an old chateau from the 16th century and was rebuilt in the 19th century. *The Chateau of Saint-Gras Park

Religious heritage

The commune has two religious sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The old Abbey of Our Lady of Ambronay (13th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée *The Cloister Garden *The former abbey church, Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, contains a large number of items that are registered as historical objects. ;Picture Gallery of the Abbey File:Exterior of abbatiale Notre-Dame d'Ambronay - 7.JPG, Exterior of the Abbey File:Cloître de l'abbaye Notre-Dame d'Ambronay.JPG, Cloister of the Abbey File:Ambronay-cloitre.jpg, Inside a cloister File:Cloître Ambronay.jpg, View of the cloister File:Gisant Ambronay.JPG, Recumbent Statue of Jacques de Mauvoisin, Abbot of Ambronay from 1425 to 1437, 15th century File:Ambronay Notre-Dame vitrail 106.JPG, Stained Glass in the abbey File:Buste de Louis Thollon à Ambronay.JPG, Bust of Louis Thallon File:Statue de Saint-Barnard à Ambronay.JPG, Statue of Saint Bernard File:Plan terrier situé dans l'escalier monumental de l'ancienne bibliothèque de l'abbaye Notre-Dame d'Ambronay.JPG, Village Plan in the stairs in the old library File:Tour des archives de l'abbaye Notre-Dame d'Ambronay - 3.JPG, The Archives Tower of the Abbey File:Exterior of abbatiale Notre-Dame d'Ambronay - 2.JPG, Detail above a door to the Abbey File:Exterior of abbatiale Notre-Dame d'Ambronay - 11.JPG, Statue on the exterior of the Abbey File:Interior of abbatiale Notre-Dame d'Ambronay - Baptismal fonts.JPG, Baptismal Font in the Abbey File:Interior of abbatiale Notre-Dame d'Ambronay.JPG, The Nave File:Interior of abbatiale Notre-Dame d'Ambronay - 7.JPG, Interior of the Abbey File:Interior of abbatiale Notre-Dame d'Ambronay - 6.JPG, Detail in the interior of the Abbey

Cultural events

Labelled a Cultural Encounter Centre since 2003, Ambronay is a place where culture is accessible to everyone, a place of open exchange. Children, teens, amateurs, professionals, researchers, students, international artists, young professionals, everyone finds in Ambronay a creative development space open to all. For students and young musicians, the European Baroque Academy offers master classes with many international projects and professional development. For young people, Ambronay offers artistic and educational courses "a la carte" for, among other things, hosting cultural classes. For amateurs, the

Ambronay Festival The Ambronay Festival is a French List of opera festivals, opera festival and Early music festivals, early music festival. The festival has been running in October for 30 years and previously produced recordings with labels such as the Auvidis labe ...

brings together between thirty and forty renowned singers every year. Around its artistic reflection and its theme of "sacred music", the centre of research at Ambronay chooses to deploy researchers and designers in different directions working together to explore the social, intellectual, human, and artistic ramifications. Continuing its ambition to improve the employability of young musicians and researchers, Ambronay will expand its productions to enable the emerging talent of tomorrow. Finally, the Ambronay Label has been distributed by Harmonia Mundi since 2005. With the support of institutional partners, a new phase of restoration and enhancement of its heritage is opening.

Personalities

*Louis Tholon, inventor of the direct vision spectroscope, was born in the town in 1875.Tourist Routes of Ain
/ref>