- Châteauneuf-du-Faou
-
Quimper
Kastell-Nevez-ar-Faou
Châteauneuf-du-Faou on the Aulne and Canal de Nantes à Brest 
QuimperLocation within Brittany region
QuimperAdministration Country France Region Brittany Department Finistère Arrondissement Châteaulin Canton Châteauneuf-du-Faou Intercommunality Haute Cornouaille Mayor Christian Ménard
(2008–2014)Statistics Elevation 31–153 m (102–502 ft) Land area1 42.58 km2 (16.44 sq mi) Population2 3,698 (2008) - Density 87 /km2 (230 /sq mi) INSEE/Postal code 29027/ 29520 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: 48°11′15″N 3°48′47″W / 48.1875°N 3.8131°W
Châteauneuf-du-Faou (Breton: Kastell-Nevez-ar-Faou) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.
Châteauneuf-du-Faou is located in the middle of Brittany, between Monts d'Arrée and Montagne Noire. The town is built on a hill overlooking the Canal de Nantes à Brest, which is the canalized river Aulne. The bridge over this waterway was built in 1638, when Louis XIII was king of France, and is known as the "Old King's Bridge".[1]
Contents
Population
Historical population of Châteauneuf-du-Faou 1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851 1856 2140 2197 2183 2128 2506 2594 2536 2700 2815 2881 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896 1901 1906 2830 3008 2998 3201 3328 3537 3566 3661 3915 4016 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954 1962 1968 1975 4285 3929 3988 3956 3854 3695 3337 3436 3723 3754 1982 1990 1999 2008 3972 3777 3595 3698 International relations
Châteauneuf-du-Faou is twinned with the English town of South Brent, and the Spanish town Chinchón.
Name
The inhabitants of Châteauneuf-du-Faou are known in French as Châteauneuviens.
The Breton language
On November 6, 2006, the municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg. In 2008, 10.4% of primary-school children in the area attended bilingual schools.[2]
History
There is strong evidence that people have lived in this area for thousands of years. A large number of tumuli discovered near the sides of the road from Châteaulin to Carhaix testify to the density of the prehistoric population. Burial sites from the Bronze and Iron Ages have also been found.
Roman coins from the reigns of the emperors Gallienus and Aurelian were discovered in 1878.[3]
During its history Châteauneuf-du-Faou was given different names in Latin and French:
- "Castellum novum" in the 12th century
- "Castrum novum" in 1217
- "Castrum novum in fago" between 1330 and 1368
- Châteauneuf-du-Faou in 1391.[1] This is Châteauneuf-du-Faou or “Kastell-Nevez-ar-Faou” in the Breton language It translates to "the New Castle in the Country."
Castrum Novum, a new fortress, was built by the lords of Faou. They belonged to a branch of the house of Léon. The fortress was seized in 1186 by Guihomarch and Hervé de Léon, and subsequently belonged to the Viscounts of Léon until it was confiscated by John VI, Duke of Brittany, in 1420. The castle was slighted in 1440.[4]
The town has experienced some riots and wars during its history. The worst day in its history was on 23 March 1593. The War of Religion which started in 1589 was about to end. Only four months were remaining before Henry IV of France's conversion to Catholicism with his famous “Paris vaut bien une messe ("Paris is well worth a Mass").[5] On that spring day, in March 1593, Châteauneuf-du-Faou was invaded by hundreds of armed Huguenots. Houses were burnt and the inhabitants were murdered. The story is told that a Huguenot soldier seized a holy ciborium and threw it onto the ground. The priest picked it up and swallowed the Hosts, only to be killed by the soldier. This story is depicted on one of the stained glass windows of the chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Portes.
The Revolt of the papier timbré (or, as it was called in Brittany, the Revolt of the Red Bonnets, did not spare Châteauneuf-du-Faou. Angry peasants burned the castle in 1675.[6]
In 1438 a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was found inside an old tree. Looked on as miraculous, the find was celebrated by the building of the chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Portes, a very popular place for pilgrimage throughout Brittany.[4]
Transport
Châteauneuf-du-Faou station c.1905
Châteauneuf-du-Faou had a station on the Réseau Breton railway. The station was on the Carhaix - Camaret line, it opened on 30 October 1904 and closed on 9 April 1967.[7]
Art and culture
Notre-Dame-des-Portes is closely associated with the famous artist Paul Sérusier, after whom a road in the village is now named. He was a mystic artist and a founder of the group who called themselves Les Nabis, after the Hebrew word for prophets. He lived in Châteauneuf-du-Faou for several years. In 1894 he painted an inspiring picture, The Pardon of Notre-Dame-Des-Portes at Chateauneuf-Du-Faou[8] This painting is now in the Musee des Beaux-Arts at Quimper.[9] Sérusier was born in Paris, but the traditions and culture of Brittany made him say:[9]
“ I feel more and more attracted by Brittany, my true fatherland, because I was born there in spirit. ” The "Pardon" ceremony is an old tradition in Brittany. Randolph Caldecott visited Châteauneuf-du-Faou in 1874 and made sketches of a Pardon which took place in the rain.[10]
The Pardon which is celebrated in Notre-Dame-des-Portes at the end of August is one of the most famous in Brittany.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Châteauneuf-du-Faou". flagspot.ne. http://flagspot.net/flags/fr-29-cf.html. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ (French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
- ^ (French) "Châteauneuf-du-Faou La Préhistoire". www.chateauneuf-du-faou.com. http://www.chateauneuf-du-faou.com/page.php?rubrique=3§ion=1. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ a b (French) "CHATEAUNEUF-DU-FAOU". www.infobretagne.com. http://www.infobretagne.com/chateauneuf-du-faou.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ "The Wars of the League (1589-1598)". www.culture.gouv. http://www.lepg.org/wars2.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ (French) "Châteauneuf-du-Faou Du 16ème Siècle à nos jours". www.chateauneuf-du-faou.com. http://www.chateauneuf-du-faou.com/page.php?rubrique=3§ion=3. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ Organ, John (2002). Northern France Narrow Gauge. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-901706-75-3.
- ^ description at bridgemanart.com
- ^ a b (French) "Châteauneuf-du-Faou Paul Sérusier". www.chateauneuf-du-faou.com. http://www.chateauneuf-du-faou.com/page.php?rubrique=5§ion=97. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ Breton Folk By Henry Blackburn, Randolph Caldecott. www.chateauneuf-du-faou.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=LzIbAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=Ch%C3%A2teauneuf-du-Faou+folk+pardon&source=bl&ots=JIPIy-7hsE&sig=KVhPfYruDbZQxeIaNQ1SId1zYP4&hl=en&ei=gz-zSdKrMYG0sAOIpuRy&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
External links
- Official website (French)
- French Ministry of Culture list for Châteauneuf-du-Faou (French)
- Mayors of Finistère Association (French);
Media related to Châteauneuf-du-Faou at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:- Communes of Finistère
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