Espinasse (; oc, Espinassa) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in Auvergne in central France. Small farming village in the Pays of Combrailles, in the canton of Saint-Éloy-les-Mines, the village is nestled in a hollow, about nine kilometers west of the town of

Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne (; Auvergnat: ''Sent Gervais d’Auvèrnhe'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 Communes of Fr ...

. During the Middle Ages and the Early modern period, the region of Combrailles was of paramount importance at territorial level because it was located at the crossroads of several lordships (Bourbonnais, Auvergne and Limousin). Therefore, the town of Espinasse suffered this proximity and was divided into fiefs belonging among others to the House of Le Loup, the House of Montmorency and the House of La Fayette.

Geography

Espinasse is located some 30 km west of

Combronde Combronde (; oc, Combaronda) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme departmen ...

and 23 km north-west of

Bromont-Lamothe Bromont-Lamothe () is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. It is the birthplace of the French film director Robert Bresson. Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The fol ...

. Access to the commune is by the D 13 from Charensat in the south-west which passes through the commune and the village before continuing north to

Pionsat Pionsat (; oc, Pionsat) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France. Inte ...

. The D 62 comes from Saint-Priest-des-Champs in the south-east. The D 18 comes from

Saint-Julien-la-Geneste Saint-Julien-la-Geneste is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 Communes of France, communes of the Puy-de-Dôme Departme ...

in the north-east. The D 528 comes from Bussières in the north-west. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.Google Maps
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Neighbouring communes and villages

Source:Géoportail

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

Administration

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Espinassois'' or ''Espinassoises'' in French.Le nom des habitants du 63 - Puy-de-Dôme
habitants.fr

Culture and heritage

Cultural events and festivities

The Hay Fest (''La Fête des Foins'' in French) is the main festival in the village since 1998. It takes place in July.

Tourist monuments and places

*The Church of St. Martin, very old, is partly Romanesque but was changed to the 2nd Gothic era. A statuary element painted white stone shows St. Margaret of Antioch slaying the dragon. It dates from the fifteenth century. Saint Martin is the patron of the parish but is also under the protection of Saint Gal, second patron. *The local school, completed in 1900, was also a town hall. The building was called Mairie-École at the time. *The Résistance site at Cacherat - Camp Gabriel Peri - which received on 23 October 1943, one of the two groups of escapees from the prison of Le Puy-en-Velay. *The Château of Pierrebrune, dating from the thirteenth century, rebuilt to modern, was the residence of the lords of Espinasse. In June 1440 during the Praguerie, King Charles VII, who came from

Auzances Auzances (; Auvergnat: ''Ausança'') is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography A small farming and light industrial town situated by the left bank of the river La Noisette, not far from ...

and went to Montaigut-en-Combraille, passed through Pierrebrune. *The War Memorial in front of the church. Espinasse (Puy-de-Dôme) école.JPG, The local school Cacherat.jpg, The Resistance site at Cacherat Espinasse (Puy-de-Dôme) monument aux morts.JPG, The War Memorial Espinasse (Puy-de-Dôme) église (01).JPG, The Church of St. Martin

References

External links

Espinasse website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinasse, Puy-De-Dome Communes of Puy-de-Dôme