Montbenoît

Montbenoît is a commune in the French department Doubs in the Franche -Comté. Montbenoît is the capital of the canton in the Arrondissement Montbenoît Pontarlier.

Geography

Montbenoît is located on 780 m, about 13 km northeast of the town of Pontarlier (air line). The village road extends in the Jura, in the Val du Saugeais on the north bank of the Doubs, north of the Jura hills of the Montagne du Larmont, near the border with Switzerland.

The area of ​​5.03 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The northern part of the area occupied by the open Talniederung of the Doubs, it flows northeast through the Val du Saugeais. The north adjacent slopes belong to Montbenoît. To the south, the municipality's area extends over a relatively steep wooded slope to the height of the Forêt Domaniale de Ban ( 1085 m). With 1,125 meters is on a mountain range which belongs to the system of the Montagne du Larmont, reached the highest elevation of Montbenoît.

Neighboring communities Montbenoît are La Longeville in the north, Ville- du- Pont in the east, Hauterive- la- face to the south and Montflovin in the West.

History

The history of Montbenoît probably goes back to the 11th century, when settling a hermit named Benoît here. With a gift of the Lords of Joux in the first half of the 12th century, a clergyman from Besançon was commissioned to found a monastery. This Augustinian Canons is documented since 1141. The monks, who had come in part from Switzerland, were responsible for the clearing and cultivation of the immediate and extended neighborhood. In the following centuries Montbenoît held the monastic rule over the Val du Saugeais, where it was under the suzerainty of the Franche-Comté and the Lords of Joux. The monastery rapidly became the spiritual center of the Haut-Doubs. The monastery church became a grave place of the Lords of Joux.

In the Thirty Years' War, the monastery of troops of Duke Bernhard of Saxe- Weimar was devastated. Together with the Franche -Comté Montbenoît came with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France. After that, the rule was managed until 1773 by the monks. Since the French Revolution Montbenoît was the capital of the canton of the same name. In 1947 it was also the capital of the " folk " République du Val de Saugeais.

Attractions

Monastery and Church Montbenoît together form the most important medieval religious complex of the Doubs, which is very well preserved. With the construction of the Romanesque church was begun in the 12th century. In the later centuries, various transformations have been made; so the choir room such as that coming from the 16th century and is held in late Gothic Flamboyant style. The church has a rich interior, including the carved choir stalls (16th century), several important statues from the 15th and 16th centuries as well as a pulpit from the 17th century.

Predominantly from the 15th and 16th century comes the buildings of the monastery buildings. Also from this period dates the cloister, which is held in Romanesque- Gothic style. At the western entrance to the village is the seat of power Morand -Val.

Choir stalls: Samson and Delilah

Church

Cloister

Vaulted ceiling

Population

With 393 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Montbenoît one of the small communities in the department of Doubs. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1886 283 persons were still counted ), a significant population increase has been recorded since the early 1980s again.

Economy and infrastructure

Montbenoît until the 20th century, a predominantly by agriculture ( livestock and dairy farming ) and forestry embossed village. In addition, there are now several companies of local small businesses, especially in the field of crafts and arts and crafts. Many workers are also commuters who engage in the surrounding larger towns of their work.

The village has good transport links. It lies on the secondary road D437 which leads from Pontarlier to Morteau. Further road links exist with La Longe Ville, La Chaux and Montflovin. The operation of the former railway line from Pontarlier to Gilley has been set.