Cussey-sur-Lison () is a commune in the

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; ) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.department in the

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

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 the cultural and historical region of

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

in eastern

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 ...

. On 1 January 2022 it merged with the former commune of

Châtillon-sur-Lison Châtillon-sur-Lison () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. On 1 January 2022 it was absorbed into the commune of Cussey-sur-Lison.Arrêté préfectoral
14 December 2021 The commune of Cussey-sur-Lison is composed of one village and three other settlements : * The village of Cussey-sur-Lison * Les Granges de Châtillon-sur-Lison * Le Château de Châtillon-sur-Lison * Les Forges de Châtillon-sur-Lison

Geography

Cussey-sur-Lison is located 30 km (18 mi) south of

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

, 23 km (14 mi) west of

Ornans Ornans () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. On 1 January 2016 the former commune Bonnevaux-le-Prieuré was merged into Ornans.Salins-les-Bains Salins-les-Bains (), commonly referred to simply as Salins, is a commune in the Jura department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. It is located on the departmental border with Doubs, 34.8 km (21.6 mi) to the s ...

and 15 km (9 mi) east of

Quingey Quingey () is a commune and former canton seat in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Quingey lies southwest of Besançon and east of Dole in the department of Jura. The commune is at ...

. The little village of Cussey sits on the left bank of the river

Lison Lison () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Population Notable people * Fernande Albany (1889 – 1966), actress, born in Lison. Today There is a train station, Lison station, which ...

. It is surrounded by wooden hills whose cliffs stand up to 150 meters (500 ft) above the village valley. This typical landscape of the

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( ) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border. While the Jura range proper (" folded Jura", ) is located in France and Switzerla ...

is called a "reculée". The creek Goulue flows through the village where five bridges cross it. An ancient mill "le Moulin du Dessus" (former oil mill and sawmill) is located down the creek before it empties into the river Lison. The lower part of the commune lies in the Lison river Valley, where a bridge from 1793 crosses it to reach the village of Lizine. A dam and a mill "le Moulin du Bas" (former nail factory and then electric power station) were built by the river. Village de Cussey

Toponymy

The name of the village would come from a Celtic root *''cus'' meaning "rock" or from a pre-Celtic hydronymic root *''cus-/cos-''.

History

Traces of occupation dating back from the Roman era were found at the end of the 19th century, and recently many items from the Celtic times. During the Middle Ages, the village was a fief of the Seigneurie de Montfort and close to the Seigneurie of Châtillon. The Church of Saint Christopher would have been founded between the 5th and the 10th century, built in Romanesque style with a single nave. Thus the base of the bell tower can be dated from the 12th century and the upper part from the 14th century due to some Gothic decorative elements. From the Middle Ages to the Late modern period, the Cussey parish extended to the neighboring villages of Echay, Bartherans and the Castle and ''Les Granges'' ("the Barns") of Châtillon. In 1544, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spains

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

authorized the Seigneur de Montfort, knight of honor of the Dole Parlement, to build a bridge on the river Lison instead of a ferry. In the Early modern period, the village suffered from various disasters : plunder by Swedish soldiers during the Ten Years' War (local name for the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

), the French conquest by

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

and also plague and famine during the 17th century. The population dwindled from 44 households in 1614 to 12 households in 1688. in 1839, an 18 meter (60 feet) high zinc spire was built on the bell tower of the Church. It was torn down in 1966.

Population

Gallery

File:Cussey-sur-Lison, le vieux pont sur le Lison (vue amont).jpg, Bridge on the river Lison File:Cussey-sur-Lison, lavoir.jpg, Fountain-lavoir in the village of Cussey File:Châtillon-sur-Lison, le château.jpg, Castle of Châtillon File:Retable de l'église de Cussey-sur-Lison.jpg, Choir of the Church of Cussey-sur-Lison File:Cussey-sur-Lison, source de la Goulue.jpg, Source of the creek Goulue File:Châtillon-sur-Lison, confluence Loue-Lison.jpg, Confluence of the river Loue (left) and the river Lison (right) File:Cussey-sur-Lison, le moulin du bas.jpg, Dam and former mill on the river Lison File:Cussey-sur-Lison, vieille maison au toit de lauzes.jpg, Old house with a stone roof File:VillageCusseyneigedepuiscroix.jpg, A view of the village of Cussey in the snow from a nearby hill File:Châtillon-sur-Lison, le pont sur la Loue.jpg, Bridge on the river Loue

References