Gartempe
The Gartempe () is a French river, long. It is a left tributary of the Creuse, which it joins in La Roche-Posay. Its source is in the municipality of Peyrabout.
Among its tributaries are the Anglin, the Brame, the Semme and the Ardour.
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Limousin
Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...
Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne (; , ; Upper Vienne) is a département in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve départements that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The prefecture an ...
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in western
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Geography
The river Semme forms part of the commune's north-eastern border, flows westward through the northern part of the commune, north of ''Morterolles-sur-Semmes'', a hamlet, then forms part of the commune's north-western border.
The river
Gartempe
The Gartempe () is a French river, long. It is a left tributary of the Creuse, which it joins in La Roche-Posay. Its source is in the municipality of Peyrabout.
Among its tributaries are the Anglin, the Brame, the Semme and the Ardour.
T ...
forms part of the commune's eastern border, flows westward through the middle of the commune, north of ''Bessines-sur-Gartempe'', the main village, then forms part of the commune's western border.
Population
Inhabitants are known as ''Bessinauds'' in French.
Culture
In the late 20th century, the community's local band, a traveling
chamber orchestra
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...
known as "La Banda de Bessines" ("The Bessines Band"), gained some national repute, winning French National Band Championships in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, and 2005.
Bessines sur Gartempe has also been awarded the prestigious "Village d'Etape" status.
People
The painter
Suzanne Valadon
Suzanne Valadon (; 23 September 1865 – 7 April 1938) was a French painter who was born Marie-Clémentine Valadon at Bessines-sur-Gartempe, Haute-Vienne, France. In 1894, Valadon became the first woman painter admitted to the . She was also the ...