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Avenay

Coordinates: 49°06′07″N 0°27′32″W / 49.1019°N 0.4589°W / 49.1019; -0.4589
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Avenay
Tombstone in the old Fierville Church at Avenay
Tombstone in the old Fierville Church at Avenay
Location of Avenay
Map
Avenay is located in France
Avenay
Avenay
Avenay is located in Normandy
Avenay
Avenay
Coordinates: 49°06′07″N 0°27′32″W / 49.1019°N 0.4589°W / 49.1019; -0.4589
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentCalvados
ArrondissementCaen
CantonÉvrecy
IntercommunalityCC Vallées Orne Odon
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Françoise Paris[1]
Area
1
5.62 km2 (2.17 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
567
 • Density100/km2 (260/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
14034 /14210
Elevation35–120 m (115–394 ft)
(avg. 90 m or 300 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Avenay (French pronunciation: [avnɛ] ) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France.

Geography

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Avenay is located some 12 km south-west of Caen just east of Évrecy. Access to the commune is by the D36 road from Sainte-Honorine-du-Fay in the south-west which passes through the heart of the commune and the village and continues north to join the D8. Apart from the village there is the hamlet of La Coquerie on the eastern border. The commune consists entirely of farmland.[3]

The Guigne river flows along the northern border of the commune towards the east where it joins the Orne south of Bully.[3]

History

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The oldest traces of Avenay village date from Gallo-Roman times. In 1820-1821 some remains of Gallo-Roman houses were found. In the Middle Ages, the village depended on the Bishop of Bayeux.[4]

In 1827 Avenay (336 inhabitants in 1821) absorbed Fierville-en-Bessin (68 people) in the east of its territory.[5]

Administration

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List of Successive Mayors[6]

From To Name
1850 Louis Touraille
1850 1860 Jean Labbé
1860 1863 Adolphe Viel
1863 1870 Pierre Gallet
1870 1872 Jean-Louis Londe
1872 1875 Edouard Accard
1875 1881 Gustave Feron
1881 1883 Pierre Sauvage
1883 1902 Jean-Louis Londe
1902 1909 Louis Lebrun
1909 1923 Émile Lemoine
1923 1937 Louis Lemonnier
1937 1945 Jean Barbot
1945 1977 Pierre Lecorsu
1977 1989 François Lecorsu
1989 1995 Lucien Martin
1995 2014 Gérard Lemoine
2014 2020 Jean-Louis Lechevalier
2020 2026 Françoise Paris

Demography

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In 2017 the commune had 557 inhabitants. This table includes the population of Fierville-en-Bassin prior to 1827.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 390—    
1800 287−4.29%
1806 402+5.78%
1821 404+0.03%
1831 435+0.74%
1836 430−0.23%
1841 433+0.14%
1846 435+0.09%
1851 395−1.91%
1856 409+0.70%
1861 398−0.54%
1866 370−1.45%
1872 345−1.16%
1876 338−0.51%
1881 314−1.46%
1886 310−0.26%
1891 289−1.39%
1896 267−1.57%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 238−2.27%
1906 242+0.33%
1911 257+1.21%
1921 240−0.68%
1926 239−0.08%
1931 230−0.76%
1936 232+0.17%
1946 184−2.29%
1954 210+1.67%
1962 238+1.58%
1968 293+3.53%
1975 302+0.43%
1982 372+3.02%
1990 384+0.40%
1999 406+0.62%
2007 504+2.74%
2012 524+0.78%
2017 557+1.23%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE[8]

Sites and Monuments

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Tomb in the old Fierville Church
  • The Church of Mary of the Assumption (Reconstruction).
  • Ruins of the Church of Fierville.[9]
  • The Chateau of Fierville (16th century).
  • Pompierre Manor (15th century).

Activities and events

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Each year, during the 3rd weekend in June, the Festival Committee of Avenay organises an inter-regional competition of bread.

One hundred bakers are judged every year. The competition focuses on different types of bread: Pain brié, Pain de campagne, traditional Baguettes, Croissants etc.

The jury, composed of baking professionals and consumers, use many criteria of quality and presentation.

The results are announced on Sunday afternoon at the fair in the village. The fair begins with a snack of Tripe at 9 am which brings hundreds of gourmands. The day continues with Mass and an exceptional sale of gold tripe.

On this day, the bakers make bread and pastries using bakery equipment and ovens installed specially for the festival. Visitors can buy bread made before their eyes.

The school fair is also held on the same day. On this occasion the students of the school perform several Norman dances in traditional costumes.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Google Maps
  4. ^ Arcisse de Caumont, Monumental Statistic of Calvados, Hardel, Caen, 1846, Vol. 1, p. 129-131 (in French)
  5. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Fierville-en Bessin, EHESS (in French).
  6. ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  7. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Avenay, EHESS (in French).
  8. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  9. ^ Photo of the Church of Fierville on Ministry of Culture Memoire database (in French)
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