Montreuil-Bellay

Montreuil- Bellay is a commune with 4034 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Maine -et -Loire in the Pays de la Loire. It belongs to the district of Saumur and is the administrative center of the canton of Montreuil- Bellay. The place is located in the extreme southeast of the department; its neighboring communities are: Saumur (Maine -et- Loire), Thouars ( Deux -Sèvres ) and Loudun (Vienne). The municipality is part of the Regional Natural Park Loire -Anjou- Touraine.

History

Since the 11th century a small monastery is attested; it was located near a ford across the Thouet, where is the lower town today. The parish church of Saint- Pierre was built a little later, near the established 1097-1103 Priory of Saint-Nicolas, called " Les Nobis ". To let 1026 Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou, build a dungeon, which formed the nucleus of the Upper Town, which he Berlay, one of his vassals, gave, after which the city is now named.

The Descendants Berlays held under fierce fighting against their liege lord the domain to 1217th The new owners had the house Melun, who were able to keep two centuries, then followed the house Harcourt, which provided the castle and the town walls. Montreuil- Bellay was one of 32 fortified towns (Ville Close) Anjou.

In the ancien régime was Montreuil-Bellay capital of 57 parishes. However, the prosperity of the town declined from the mid-18th century, despite the sewers of Thouet the year in 1741. The concentration of management in Saumur, which took place with the French Revolution, further reduced the importance of place.

It was not until the late 19th century Montreuil-Bellay grew over its walls beyond. It gained new meaning, when the city was connected by new roads with Angers and Saumur ( since 1841 ) and Poitiers ( 1855 ).