Bédée (; ; Gallo: ''Bedésc'') is a commune in the department of

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Ill-e-Vilaenn'', ) is a departments of France, department of France, located in the regions of France, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named a ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

.
It is located in the northwest of

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 ...

and is labeled as a

village étape A Village étape (France, ) or a Village relais (Québec, ) is a small town, typically under five thousand people, designated to provide a complete set of services for national or provincial highway travellers. While most do provide natural or cultu ...

since 2009.

Etymology

The name of Bédée may come from the Gaulish "Bedo" (= pit) or "betu" (= birch) and the suffix -iscum. The transcription of the name has changed: Bedesc in 1120, Bidisco in 1122 Bedensi in 1152, Bédec in 1187 and Bédiscum in 1330. It is from the 15th century that the name of Bédée appeared in its actual writing. It can be mentioned that there is a character named Bède the Venerable, a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

living in England during the 8th century. This rare name looks curiously like Bédée. Some

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

monks colonised

in a distant past and left their name:

Saint Méen Mewan (, , )Mavenus, Mevenus, Mevennus, Meven, Mewan, Maine. (''fl.'' 6th century) was a Celtic saint active in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. Most documentation of his life can be found in the Breton ''Vita Meveni'', perhaps written in 1084 by I ...

Saint Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany. The walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...

, etc. Searches in that direction could enable to consolidate this hypothesis.

Geography

Bédée is a town located in

Montfort-sur-Meu Montfort-sur-Meu (, literally ''Montfort on Meu''; , before 1993: ''Montfort'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in the northwest of France. ...

county. It is at 20 km to the northwest of Rennes and is surrounded by

Iffendic Iffendic (; ; Gallo: ''Fendic'') is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany. It is located in the North West of France. Geography The towns nearby are Montfort-sur-Meu, La Nouaye, Bédée, Pleumeleuc, Saint-Gonlay, Ta ...

, La Nouaye,

Breteil Breteil (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Beurteuil'', ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. It is located in northwestern France. Geography The ri ...

, Pleumeleuc, Talensac, Saint-Gonlay.

History

Prehistory

During Prehistory, humans lived on the actual territory of Bédée. Indeed, prehistoric tools have been found (ex: polished axe) in villages such as la Morinais, la Rioulais and la Motte Besnard. Archaeological excavations took place in 2011 on the site of the ZAC du Pont-aux-Chèvres and found a site dated from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

Gallo-Roman period

During the Gallo-Roman period, men also lived on the territory of Bédée. Excavations have also been done and we found ceramics, vases, piece of pottery, and above all a statuette of a mother goddess in red terracotta in the village of la Métairie Neuve.

Middle Ages

It is from the 10th century that feudal mottes were developed. They were the first castles, built in wood and on heights, on mounds of earth. One of these feudal mottes can be found at the entrance of the town: the motte Jubin. In 1122, Donoald, the bishop of Aleth gave the monks of Saint-Melaine de Rennes abbey the priory of Bédée which became then a parish. But it has been politically taken in charge by the Lord of

who took taxes and who did justice.

Modern times

The Lord Charles de Botherel, adviser in the Parliament of Brittany, proclaimed the town of Bédée independent in 1715. In 1744, he became Lord of Bédée. To show its prosperity, the town of Bédée knew a strong development of manors and castles at this time (The manor of the Blavon, destroyed in 1930).

French Revolution

The population of the town is in favour of the changes brought by the French Revolution, above all after the end of the reign of the Terror. The major revolutionary event is the one celebrating the execution of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

, accompanied by a hatred oath to the royalty and to the anarchy. It is celebrated since 1795.Louis Dubreuil, « Fêtes révolutionnaires en Ille-et-Vilaine », in Annales de Bretagne, volume 21, tome 4, 1905, p. 398-399

Population

Tourism

Tourism management in Montfort-sur-Meu" is entrusted by

Montfort Community Montfort can refer to: Feudal fiefs and houses * House of Montfort, a French noble house, extinct in the 14th century * Lords, counts and dukes of Montfort-l'Amaury, fief originally held by the House of Montfort * House of Montfort-Brittany, de ...

to the Tourist Office of the district of Montfort.

Sights

Buildings

Saint-Pierre Saint-Louis church The actual church has been built between 1885 and 1888 by the architect Arthur Regnault.

Touristic sites

Pond of Blavon The pond of Blavon is located at 1,5 km from the town and offers a pleasant environment to fishermen and tourists. Several hiking paths enable to discover the site and an educational path links the pond to the town centre of Bédée. Circuit de la Primaudière The starting point is at the church of Bédée. The circuit is 11,5 km long and lasts 3h00. Most paths are passable the whole year with no difficulty. The circuit goes next to the town of Pleumeleuc and Breteil. Circuit Nord The starting point is next to the church of Bédée. The circuit goes all the way to the town of Irodouër. It is 14 km long and lasts about 3h00. File:EGLISE BEDEE.JPG, Church of Bédée File:Etang du blavon.JPG, Pond of Le Blavon File:La motte Jubin.JPG, Feudal motte also known as the motte Jubin

References

External links

Official website

Mayors of Ille-et-Vilaine Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedee Communes of Ille-et-Vilaine