Sidiailles

Sidiailles is a commune with 312 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011 ) in the department of Cher in the Centre region. It has one of the oldest bells in France, which was cast in 1239. The municipality belongs to the canton Châteaumeillant in the Arrondissement of Saint -Amand- Montrond.

Geography

Sidiailles is located in the center of France to the south of the department of Cher, 61.5 km southwest of Bourges, the seat of the prefecture of the department and 10.9 kilometers southeast of the canton capital Châteaumeillant on an average height of 300 meters above sea level. The village is surrounded by the neighboring communes of Saint - Éloy- d'Allier, Saint- Saturnin, Saint-Palais and Culan. The municipality has an area of ​​31.96 square kilometers.

The Arnon flows through the lake of Sidiailles, where it unites with its tributary, the Joyeuse. The reservoir of Sidiailles was created in 1977. He is classified as a Site Inscrit ( natural monument ). The entire protected area covers 775 hectares, the lake is 90 acres in size. 230 hectares of protected area located in the department of Allier. The hilly Bocagelandschaft is characterized by the transition from the plains of the Berry and the mountains of the Massif Central.

Sidiailles is a climate of type Cfb ( according to Köppen and Geiger ) assigned: Warm Temperate rain climate ( C ), fully wet ( f), the warmest month below 22 ° C, at least four months above 10 ° C ( b). There is a maritime climate with moderate summer.

History

Sidiailles was a Celtic settlement, the (52 BC to 486 AD) said in Gallo-Roman times Secles alias. 1213 the city name is mentioned in documents as Ceptalia, 1311 and 1423 as Cydealia as Cydialles.

In the 11th century Sidiailles was under the lords of the castle of La Roche- Guillebaud, of which only ruins have remained in the municipality of Saint- Éloy- d'Allier today. In the 12th century, the monastery Les Pierres was built at the confluence of Joyeuse and Arnon. There was at that time no worldly fief in Sidiailles, but the parish church of Saint -Pierre -Saint -Paul was under the Benedictine monastery of Déols. The jurisdiction lay with the Bailliage of Châteauroux. In the 16th century the village had about 280 inhabitants. And the number of residents did not change significantly until the 18th century. 1793 Sidiailles received in the wake of the French Revolution ( 1789-1799 ) and 1801 administrative reform under Napoleon Bonaparte ( 1769-1821) the right to local self-government.

Since the population had risen steadily since 1793, prompted the then mayor ( mayor) of Sidiailles 1880 the new building of the church, the construction of a new Mairie village school and a brickyard. The old church from the 12th century was destroyed, the new church is about 400 meters to the northwest. Most inhabitants of the municipality had 1906 (1205), then the population began to decline.

Culture and sights

The old bell is 70 inches high and has a diameter of 80 centimeters. It is located in the bell tower of the new church and is not accessible for security reasons to the public. It was brought from the old church of Sidiailles in the new neo-Gothic building. It is unknown whether she was cast for the church of Sidiailles. However, it seems unlikely, since the village was insignificant during the Middle Ages. It is more likely that it comes from the monastery Les Pierres. It is also possible that they belonged to the chapel of the castle of La Roche- Guillebaud. In 2000 it was restored. The bell is classified as a monument historique ( historic monument '). The Latin inscription on the bell has a reference to the life of Saint Agatha of Catania, the patron saint of bell-founders.

The cemetery of the lieu- dit Sidiailles (, place is called .. ') La Porte is located on the Conservation Area around the lake.

Economy

Tourism was promoted to Sidiailles The construction of the dam. The water sports center is used for public bathing and swimming. There is a sailing school and kayak rentals.