The Montjean-on-Loire

the Montjean-on-Loire is a common French, located in the department of Maine-et-Loire and the area Pays of the Loire.

Its inhabitants are called Montjeannais

Geography

Montjean is located roughly in a triangle formed by the towns of Angers, Nantes and Cholet, in the small area Pays of Mauges, on the edges of the the Loire, in the middle of the slopes of vines and orchards.

Montjean belongs to the Département of Maine-et-Loire.

History

We do not have ancun testimony of the presence of prehistoric men except for the trace of two stone axes and one of bronze. The hard copy oldest preserved at the departmental records teaches us that the castle of Montjean on the Loire was taken by Réginald prince of Normands.Il was besieged there then driven out into 924.

The first known lord of Montjean is Albéric 1st, died in 1011, faithful of Foulque Nerra. During 5 centuries, its descendants guerroient near largest large, and with the liking of alliances with the head of important strongholds such Customs, Sillè-the-Guillaume, Cholet are…

In 1493, François de Montjean makes build in Bellevue a convent for the monks of Saint François (cordeliers).

The last of the name, Rene de Montjean, inherits the baronnie in 1515. Large intrepid lord, but also spendthrift and player, it is wounded and made captive in 1525 in Pavia. In 1526, he marries Philippe de Montespédon, rams of Beaupréau. Lieutenant-general in Piedmont (1537), Marshal of France in 1538, it dies in 1539. His/her sister and heiress Anne, widow of Jean d' Acignè, Marie in 1569 her Judith girl with Charles Ier de Cossé. Montjean on the Loire belongs then to the Thimble-Brissac. The heirs to François de Neuville, duke of Villeroy (wire of Marguerite de Cossé), sell in 1736 to Henri François de Mailly de Viéville.

A stop of the Council of State of January 8th, 1754 grants the concession of the coal mines of Montjean to the lord, Mr. de Mailly, who, in 1756, entrusts the exploitation of it to an association of Belgian minors. The basement of the commune also conceals vast benches of limestone and one finds a furnace-with-lime in activity since 1411 with the Crossing. Right before the Revolution, Montjeannais, Jean-Jacques Clémenceau of the Moor discover the secrecy to cook lime with pit coal.

The French revolution is rather well accommodated because the marines with the liking of their adventures brought the ideas of freedom and equality. An Republican guard of three hundred men is created. At the first days of Vendean rising, it goes against the “insurrectionists” to Pommeraye; it is pushed back, and the borough occupied by the Vendean ones until September 18th, 1793. The Republicans put fire at the castle the 20; the borough is devastated in 1794. The municipality takes refuge in the island (island formed by the Loire and one of its arms). Still in 1801, a thousand of refugees are there, in the worst destitution. In the storm, the weak parish of Châteaupanne disappears, divided between Montjean (essence), Pommeraye and the Chalonnes-on-Loire. At the XVIIIe century the industry of furnace-with-limes develops at the same time as that of the coal mines. In 1813,176 workmen are employed with the mines.

An intense navigation is attested in the Loire since the Gallo-Roman time. In 1838, one estimates that 6000 boats, without counting the steamers with their innumerable passengers spend each year in front of Montjean (much stops there). The marines montjeannais have their share of this traffic.

The first bridge and the road which leads to the Main road 23 are inaugurated in 1850, right before the arrival of the railroad on other bank. The lifting which, on 12 km protects the agglomeration and the valley of believed of the Loire, between Saint-Florent-the-Old Montjean on the Loire and , also comes to be completed. The work started into 1784 was stopped by the Revolution and only taken again about 1845.

The railroad which arrives about 1850 collects this goods transport and travellers. However the marines montjeannais do not give up. When, in 1878, one plans to establish the quay upstream bridge, one notes that 89 boats (barges) have Montjean for home port. They are still a good about sixty in 1900, which, for the majority transport lime towards the Brittany, by borrowing the channel of Nantes from Brest.

The production of the coal mines rises with its apogee in 1891 to 16200 tons. Meanwhile, the mines cause the fortune or the ruin of several companies. Last in date, the Company of the Mines and Furnace-with-lime of the Basse-Loire which Edmond Heusschen (mayor 1874-1876) directs occupies nearly 400 workmen in 1885 and one digs with less 220 meters. Towards 1875,13 lime kilns function on the commune. But the poor quality of coal, the irregularity of the layers, condemn the exploitation which stops definitively in 1892. The lime kilns of Châteaupanne continue their activity until 1962.

In 1940, the bridge jumps to delay the German projection (certain parts of the old bridge are still visible when the level of the river is low). In a few weeks, the occupants rebuild one of them on pile, which the super American fortresses come to bombard (B 17) on June 7th, 1944, shortly after the Débarquement in Normandy. The Tail of the island and the Shore are seriously touched and, under the ruins, one counts 5 dead and several casualties. The bridge is rebuilt in 1948-1949.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

- The church Saint Symphorien is built (1858-1864) on the ruins of the old castle. It is visible since the trunk road connecting Angers to Nantes.

It Chapelle Méén Saint set up in 1887 was a center of rather important pilgrimage at the beginning of the 20th century. Did the water of its souce cure (?) scale. It is today ruins some and its source is dried up.

it bridge of Montjean goes back to 1948 after being many times destroyed and recontruit. It emjambe the Loire with its 496m length.

It Chapelle Vault Aubin Saint dating from the 11th century has the characters of the novel angevin.

it head-frame of the well of the Trench built in 1874 is regarded as one of most important of the 13 head-frames of coal mine preserved in France (high of 32 meters).

it tomb of Edmond Heusschen of pyramidal form is located apart from the cemetery at the variation of the proletarians. Benefactor of the commune to have made it prosperous in the years 1850, this Belgian engineer settles in Montjean 1854

Them Lime kilns which one can see on the edges of the Loire.

it barge " Montjeannaise" who proposes exits sets of themes in the Loire from April at the end of October

It Ligériade II, boat croisère sailing from April at November

it osprey, zodiak of the Loire

Personalities related to the commune

Twinnings

With Pommeraye

See too

Common of Maine-et-Loire

External bonds

Official site of Montjean on the Loire
the Montjean-on-Loire on the site of the national geographical Institute
the Montjean-on-Loire on the site of INSEE
the Montjean-on-Loire on the site of Quid
Localization of the Montjean-on-Loire on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on the Montjean-on-Loire on Mapquest

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