- Belley
french commune|nomcommune=Belley
région=Rhône-Alpes
département=Ain
arrondissement= Belley
canton=Belley
insee=01034
cp=01300
maire=Jean-Marc Fognini
mandat=2008-2014
intercomm=Belley Bas Bugey
longitude= 5.683333
latitude= 45.766667
alt moy=277 m
alt mini=
alt maxi=
hectares=2242
km²=22.42
sans=8473
date-sans=1999
dens=377.9
date-dens=1999Belley (
Arpitan : "Bèlê") is a commune in the department ofAin in easternFrance .History
Belley is of Roman origin, and in the
5th century became anepiscopal see . It was the capital of the province ofBugey , which was a dependency ofSavoy till 1601, when it was ceded to France. In 1385 the town was almost entirely destroyed by an act of incendiarism, but was subsequently rebuilt by the dukes of Savoy, who surrounded it with ramparts of which little is left.Belley was the birthplace of the epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
Ecclesiastical history
Belley was the seat of the
Bishop of Belley and the location ofBelley Cathedral .Economy
The town is famed for its
cheese , "la Tome de Belley," also known asChevret or still "Le pave d'Affinois". It is also at the centre of the Bugey wine region. It is also home to a sizeableVolvo production unit producing compact excavators, Comatel and Ciat.ee also
*
Communes of the Ain department References
*1911
External links
* [http://joan-of-arc-studies.org/index.php?Gazetteer-Belley Gazetteer Entry]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
