Montbenoît

Montbenoît
Montbenoît
Location within Franche-Comté region  Montbenoît
Administration
Country	France
Region	Franche-Comté
Department	Doubs
Arrondissement	Pontarlier
Canton	Montbenoît
Intercommunality	Canton of Montbenoît
Mayor	Frédéric Bourdin (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	762–1,125 m (2,500–3,691 ft) (avg. 790 m/2,590 ft)
Land area1	5.03 km2 (1.94 sq mi)
Population2	365  (2008)
- Density	73 /km2 (190 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	25390/ 25650
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 46°59′37″N 6°27′46″E / 46.9936111111°N 6.46277777778°E / 46.9936111111; 6.46277777778

Montbenoît is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Geography

The commune lies 14 km (8.7 mi) north of Pontarlier in the Jura mountains.

History

In the early 12th century, Landry, Lord of Joux, gave land in the upper Doubs valley to Humbert, Archbishop of Besançon, to found an abbey.^[1][2] The local summit in the area was at the time called Mont Benoît after a religious hermit named Benoît who resided there. Humbert invited monks to come from Valais and an abbey under St. Columbanus's rule was built by a monk called Nardouin (Norduin) in 1141-1142.^[3][4] The town grew up nearby the abbey. Both the abbey and the town were named Montbenoît after the local summit. The abbey later came under the Augustine rule.^[4]

In 1947, Montbenoît was proclaimed capital of the Republic of Saugeais by Georges Pourchet, a local hotel owner, who also created the republic on the spot.^{[citation needed]}

Population

Historical population of Montbenoît

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2008
180	205	182	163	238	219	365

See also

• Communes of the Doubs department

References

• INSEE

1. ^ "Montbenoît" Congrès Archéologique de France 118: p. 306
2. ^ Landry, Donald J. (1999) The History of the Surname Landry from Clovis to the Present volume I, Donald J. Landry, Metairie, Louisiana, p. 22, OCLC 42748089 citing Suchaux, L. (1878) Galerie Héraldo: Nobiliaire de la Franche-Comté H. Champion, Paris, p. 314, OCLC 18349834
3. ^ "Montbenoît Abbey" Structurae an architectural database
4. ^ ^{a b} "abbaye d'augustins" Architecture et Patrimoine database in French, accessed 5 May 2009

External links

• Montbenoît on the intercommunal Web site of the department (French)