Source-Seine (), known as ''Source Seine'' during the first few months after its formation, is a commune in the

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or (; literally, "Golden Slope") is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.department in eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It was formed on 1 January 2009 when Saint-Germain-Source-Seine was merged with Blessey. Its

demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

is ''Sequanien'' (masculine/mixed plural) or ''Sequanienne'' (feminine), most likely named after

Sequana In Gallo-Roman religion, Sequana is the goddess of the river Seine, particularly the springs at the source of the Seine, and the Gaulish tribe the Sequani. The springs, called the ''Fontes Sequanae'' ("The Springs of Sequana"), are located in a val ...

, the goddess of the river

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plate ...

Geography

Source-Seine is located northwest of

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earl ...

. There are two ''hameaux'' or hamlets in Source-Seine : Saint-Germain (originally Saint-Germain-Source-Seine), and Blessey. True to its name, within Source-Seine is the source of the

, in woods off the D103 road approximately 2 km Southeast by east of the cluster of buildings in Saint-Germain, or 3 km East by south of the cluster of buildings in Blessey. The Seine rises at an elevation of in this wooded area, from waters in several closely clustered ditches/depressions. France's second-longest river (after the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...

), the Seine then flows before it passes between the coastal communes of

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, ver ...

and

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Honfle ...

, on the

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

coast, into the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...

. Source-Seine borders the communes of

Frôlois Frôlois () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population Sights * Château de Frôlois: historic monument dating from 13th century. See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department The following is a list of ...

to the north-west, Chanceaux to the north,

Poncey-sur-l'Ignon Poncey-sur-l'Ignon () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative divi ...

to the north-east, Bligny-le-Sec to the south-east,

Salmaise Salmaise () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte-d'Or department of France. The communes cooperat ...

to the south and Boux-sous-Salmaise to the south-west.

History

What is now Source-Seine saw Gaulic pilgrimage beginning in the 1st century BC. In the late 4th century AD, Roman Emperor

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...

ordered the closure of pagan temples at the Seine's source and gave their property to Christian institutions. In accordance with this edict, in the 5th century the abbey of Sainte-Marie-de-Cestra, the closest religious institution to the Seine's source, received a donation from the Roman government. In the 17th century, rumors of healing powers in the Seine were circulating around Paris. This led to the construction of a grotto dedicated to the Seine Nymph and financed by its residents in the 19th century. The city of Paris officially bought the source of the Seine in 1864. Modern times have seen a wave of coin throwers flocking to the river's source. The commune of Source-Seine was formed on 1 January 2009 when Saint-Germain-Source-Seine was fused with Blessey.

Name history

The name ''Source-Seine'' originated during 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 ...

when the ruling of 22

frimaire Frimaire () was the third month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the French word ''frimas'', which means ''frost''. Frimaire was the third month of the autumn quarter (''mois d'automne''). It started between 21 Novemb ...

of year II of the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...

(12 December 1793) stipulated that a commune could not be named after a saint or contain any religious references. As a result, the name of Saint-Germain-Source-Seine (which was then called ''Sainct Germain la Fæuille'' or ''Saint-Germain-la-Feuille'') was changed to ''Source-Seine''. The municipal order stated that 'the name of the commune of Saint-Germain-la-Feuille will change to the name of Source-Seine, taking this name from the way the Seine river has its source on the territory of the commune.' Saint-Germain-Source-Seine was renamed ''Saint-Germain-la-Feuille'' in 1815 during the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

. In 1868, the town council requested that the words 'la-Feuille' be replaced by 'Source-Seine', which they were following a decree by President MacMahon on 22 July 1875. The name ''Source-Seine'' was revived when Saint-Germain-Source-Seine was merged with Blessey. After Saint-Germain-Source-Seine and Blessey merged, following a local consultation, the prefectoral decree and the ''

Journal Officiel de la République Française A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: * Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

'' referred to the commune as ''Source Seine'' (without a hyphen), which was against the rules regarding the naming of political and administrative entities. The JORF quickly corrected the name and changed it to ''Source-Seine'', and the Code officiel géographique followed.

Politics and administration

Successive list of mayors *2009-2010 - Jean-Louis Bornier,

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

, teacher *2011-2014 - Marie-Jeanne Fournier, independent, activity leader *2014-2026 - Sophie Louet, independent, salesperson

Economy

The area around Source-Seine is noted for its wine. Grain and livestock are also farmed there, as well as the area being attractive to tourists.

Places of interest

Saint-Germain-Source-Seine - La source de la Seine - 034

* , a park owned by the city of Paris which contains the source of the river Seine and the first bridges across the river, including a nymph statue at the source of the river. The park is popular with tourists. * Notre-Dame church, with a 12th century

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

with

arrowslit An arrowslit (often also referred to as an arrow loop, loophole or loop hole, and sometimes a balistraria) is a narrow vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows or a crossbowman can launch bolts. The interi ...

s, an 18th century nave and a bell tower. There is a stone with a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

inscription, originally from the Gallo-Roman sanctuary at the sources of the Seine and reused. * Sainte-Anne of Blessey chapel. * Three statues made of multicolored wood. * 8th century

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

, made with reused stone, on the walls of the cemetery. * Cemetery with a 12th century sculpture of Christ's head embedded in the wall near the entry, and a 17th century cross. * 18th century calvaries at crossroads, one next to the 'tilleul de la liberté' (freedom tree, planted to signify freedoms gained in the

)https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/vertou-44120/vertou-la-morlachere-le-tilleul-de-la-liberte-6444897 and another in front of the Diocese house. * Lime trees dated from the 18th century, including one planted during the French Revolution, referred to as 'arbre de la Liberté'. * Two monuments commemorating WWI deaths, one for Saint-Germain and the other for Blessey. * Wash house at Blessey.

Sister towns

Verghereto Verghereto ( rgn, Vargaréd; Tuscan: (rare)) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Forlì. The main parish church is San Mi ...

(

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) since 2002. The commune of Saint-Germain-Source-Seine signed a 'Charte d'amitié' (friendship charter) with the commune of Verghereto in 2001 and a sister town agreement in 2002. The commune of Source-Seine has been twinned with Verghereto since the fusion of the two communes. The source of the