Prads-Haute-Bléone | |
|---|---|
 A general view of the village of Prads-Haute-Bléone | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Prads-Haute-Bléone  | |
  Prads-Haute-Bléone  Prads-Haute-Bléone | |
| Coordinates:44°13′15″N6°26′38″E / 44.2208°N 6.4439°E /44.2208; 6.4439 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Digne-les-Bains |
| Canton | Seyne |
| Intercommunality | CA Provence-Alpes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Françoise Basset[1] |
Area 1 | 165.64 km2 (63.95 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 174 |
| • Density | 1.1/km2 (2.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04155 /04390 |
| Elevation | 831–2,961 m (2,726–9,715 ft) (avg. 1,036 m or 3,399 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Prads-Haute-Bléone (French pronunciation:[pʁatsotbleɔn];Prats Auta Blèuna inVivaro-Alpine) is acommune in theAlpes-de-Haute-Provencedepartment and in theProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azurregion in southeastern France.
Thepeople of Prads-Haute-Bléone are called Pradins.[3]
The neighboring communes of Prads-Haute-Bléone areMéolans-Revel,Allos,Villars-Colmars,Thorame-Basse,Draix,La Javie,Beaujeu andVerdaches.
The village lies on the right bank of theBléone, which has its source in the northeastern part of the commune and flows southwest through the middle of the commune.
The municipality of Prads-Haute-Bléone extends over 16,500 hectares (41,000 acres). It is composed of nine hamlets ranging in elevation from 800 to 1,450 metres. The main settlement of Prads is at 1,048 metres (3,438 ft),[4] and the highest peak is theTête de l'Estrop at 2,961 metres (9,715 ft) in theMassif des Trois-Évêchés at the border with Méolans-Revel. This is also the highest summit of theProvence Alps and Prealps.
It is common with the type of high valleys of the Southern Alps, enjoying a climate which is very sunny, cold, dry, and with asnow line at approximately 1,800 metres (5,900 ft).
During the two last major glaciations,Riss glaciation andWürm glaciation, major glaciers occupied the valleys of the commune. A first glacier, reduced, occupied the top of the Valley of the Galebre (formerly commune of Mariaud). A great glacier flowed into the Bléone Valley; It received tributaries from the glacier valleys of the ravine of Bussing, Riou and the ravine of Jet des Eaux and Riou de l’Aune. The Riss glacier descended to Blegiers; the Würm glaciation was less thick and stopped below Heyre.[5]
The valleys of the southern entrance to the town (Champourcin, Chanolles, Blegiers) are situated inlimestone mountains of theJurassic period. Further upstream and to left bank of theBléone, the Carton and the Chau ridges are more recent limestone formations of theUpper Cretaceous. In front of these formations at the right bank, theGalabre ridge which separates the Bléone Valley is composed ofBathonian limestone.[6] This has beds ofmarl, alternating with shallow (less than a meter) limestone andshale marl.[7]
The commune is crossed by theBléone andGalabre.
The commune has 7,500 hectares (19,000 acres) of woods and forests, or 45% of its area.[3]
With respect toseismic activity, the area of Prads-Haute-Bléone is in zone 4 (medium risk) according to the probabilistic classification EC8 of 2011.[8]: 38 The municipality of Prads-Haute-Bléone is also exposed to three other natural hazards:[9]
The municipality of Prads-Haute-Bléone is exposed to any of the risks of technological origin identified by the prefecture.[8] The predictable naturalrisk prevention plan [fr] (PPR) of the municipality was approved in 1993 for the risk of land movement; theDICRIM [fr] does not exist.[10] The commune was the subject to an avalanche, in 2009.[9] In July 2005, the municipality also had significantmudslides after heavy rains.[11] The following list includes earthquakes felt strongly in the town. They exceed a macro-seismic intensity level V on theMSK scale (sleepers awake, falling objects). The specified intensities are those felt in the town, the intensity can be stronger at theepicentre:[12]
On 5 and 6 November 1968, Prads had one of the first landslides of magnitude which was studied in detail by geomorphologists. It was produced in the Ravin de la Frache[6] (anOccitan term that precisely refers to a zone of talus),[15] in l'Adret and located beneath the summit of Belle Valette.[16]
In theautumn of 1967, already marked by heavy rains, the cracks in the ground expanded. During the winter of 1967–1968, the successions of freeze-thaw lubricated the sliding surfaces. The rainy spring only aggravated the instability of the land. During the autumn 1968 rains, more than a year after the start of the sequence, a flow was triggered[15] resulting in a blackish marl-limestone detrital mass[16] and marl-shalecolluvium.[17]If the distance travelled by the flow is reduced (700 m),[18] it carries large blocks and upon arrival, the materials and the largest blocks are very close to the hamlet[17] the entire flow remaining in an unstable state.[19][clarify]
The name of the village, as it appears for the first time the 9th century (Colonia in Prato) is derived from theLatinpratum (pré).[20][21] The plural is recent.[20] The Bléone name meansWolf River.
Mariaud appears in the texts at the beginning of the 13th century, but in the form ofMariano: According toErnest Nègre, the place name derived from the proper Roman name ofMarianus, which has evolved fromMariaudo (1319), by attraction to the Provençal localmaridado, meaning wedding.[22] Other hypotheses exist.
Blegiers is mentioned for the first time in charters in the second decade of the 12th century, in the formde Bligerio, derived from the Germanic nameBlidegar, possibly Latinized asBlidegarius.[23][24]
Chanolles, cited in 1122 (Canola), comes from thePre-Celtic oronym (mountain toponym)*Kan-.[25]
The name of the summit of Chappe at 1,667 metres (5,469 ft), bordering onBeaujeu, is maintained in the existence of an optical telegraph relay, known asTélégraphe Chappe [fr].[26]
The name of the locality ofla Favière evokes a planted field of beans (fèves [fr]);[27] that ofCombes designates a ravine (similar tocombe), downstream of the village of Prads.[28]
In 2017, the active population amounted to 69 people, including 10 unemployed. These workers are in majority employees (68%), and are in majority employed outside the commune (52%).[29]
At the end of 2015, theprimary sector (agriculture, forestry, fishing) had 14 active institutions within the meaning of Insee (including non-professional operators and self-employment).[29]
The number of professional farms, according to the Agreste survey of the Ministry of Agriculture, is nine in 2010. It was 11 in 2000,[30] and 18 in 1988.[31] Currently, these operators are divided into sheep and vegetable farmers.[30] From 1988 to 2000, the usableagricultural land (SAU) had significantly increased, from 943 hectares (2,330 acres) to 1,426 hectares (3,520 acres).[31] The SAU has dropped during the last decade, to 589 hectares (1,460 acres).[30]
At the end of 2015, thesecondary sector (industry and construction) had 8 establishments, employing one worker.[29] Thehydroelectric power plant of Chanolles used the waters of theBléone. The turbine had an output of 210kW.[32]
Formerly, hydropower sawmills were installed in Champourcin, Blegiers and Prads. They all ceased operation in the 20th century. In 2013, a new artisanal sawmill was created in the village of Blegiers.[33]
At the end of 2015, thetertiary sector (shops, transport, services) had eight institutions (one salaried employee), in addition to seven institutions in the administrative sector (together with the health and social sector and education), with six people employed.[29]According to theObservatoire départemental du tourisme, the tourist function is very important for the municipality, with more than five tourists accommodated per capita,[34] despite a low capacity of accommodation for tourist purposes:
Secondary residences complement the capacity:[38] with a number of 212, they represent 65% of dwellings.[29][39]
Thebistro at the Trois Évêchés, which carries theBistrot de Pays [fr] brand,[40] adheres to a charter which aims to"contribute to the conservation and the animation of the economic and social fabric in rural areas by maintaining a place in village life".[41]
There is also a centre for excursions and hikes.
Inancient times,Bodiontiques (Bodiontici) lived in the Valley of theBléone, and were therefore theGallic people who lived in the valleys of the current commune of Prads-Haute-Bléone. The Bodiontiques, who were defeated byAugustus at the same time as other peoples present on theTrophy of the Alps (before 14 BC) are attached to the Roman province ofAlpes Maritimae at its inception.[42]
The communities of Blegiers, Champourcin, Chanolles, Chavailles, Mariaud and Prads were all of theBailli ofDigne.[43]
The locality of Prads appears for the first time in charters in theHigh Middle Ages, asPrato, dependent upon theAbbey of Saint Victor inMarseille.[43] It stood at the junction of the dioceses ofDigne,Senez, andEmbrun.[44]
The Abbey ofCistercian monks of Notre-Dame de Faillefeu (or meadows: the Abbot was called "the Abbot of the meadows")[45] was founded in 1144[44] by the monks ofBoscodon [fr].[43] They founded theAbbey of Valbonne [fr][43] on 3 February 1199 (the date of the Charter of Foundation).[45] In 1298, it belongs to theCluny Abbey, and then passes under the authority of the college Saint-Martial inAvignon. The abbey was eventually looted, ransacked and abandoned during theFrench Wars of Religion.[43]
Thetithes were levied by theChapter ofDigne.[43]
In 1843, the priest of the parish, Paul Charpenel, writes the annals of the parish of Prads, not published to date.[43] One of the municipal measures from this period is the construction of a public fountain in the village, under theSecond Republic, in 1850.
Thecoup d'état of 2 December 1851 byLouis-Napoléon Bonaparte against the Second Republic caused an armed uprising in the Basses-Alpes, in defense of the constitution. After the failure of the uprising, severe repression descended on those who stood up to defend the Republic, which included an inhabitant of Prads.[46]
As with many municipalities of the department, Prads acquired schools well before theJules Ferry laws: in 1863, it had three, located in Prads, la Favière and Tercier. These schools provided aprimary education to boys.[47] While theFalloux Laws of 1851, required the opening of a girls school in communes with more than 800 inhabitants, Prads maintained a girls school in the 1860s,[48] but that school closed before the end of theSecond Empire.[49] It is only since the Ferry Laws that Prads girls have attended school regularly.
In theMiddle Ages, during the 12th century, the village of Blégiers (Bligerium) moved to the Roche-de-Blégiers, on a hilltop site.[43] The community had aconsulate in the 13th century.[50] Its population increased from 81feus in 1315, with another 14 in 1471. At this time, it was still part of theChapter ofDigne that owned the domain and the Church of the Roche-de-Blégiers, before selling these in 1476 to theBishop of Digne [fr]. From that date, it was the Bishop who appointed the responsible chaplain of the souls of this parish, and who collects revenues attached to this church.[43]
Chanolles was reported as early as 814: ThePolyptych of Wadalde indicated that theAbbey of Saint Victor inMarseille had aCour colongère [fr].[43] The two communities of Chanolles and Champourcin which had eightfeus each count of 1315, were heavily depopulated by the crises of the 14th century (theBlack Death and theHundred Years' War), and were annexed by Blegiers in the 15th century.[51] Champourcin and Chanolles churches were of the chapter of Digne.[43]
The death of QueenJeanne I opened a succession crisis in theComté de Provence [fr], the towns of theUnion of Aix (1382-1387), supportedCharles, Duke of Durazzo againstLouis I, Duke of Anjou. The Lord of Chanolles, Louis le Roux, supported the Duke of Anjou as early as April 1382, this support was conditional on the participation of the Duke in the relief expedition to the Queen.[52] The Lord of Blegiers, Louis Aymes, appears in the lists of support to the Angevins in 1385, after the death of Louis I.[53]
In 1765, Blégiers had 257 inhabitants. The lordship of the place had belonged successively to the Grimaldi (14th century), Puget and Eissautier families.[51]
As Prads, Blégiers acquired schools well before theJules Ferry laws: In 1863, it had four installed in Blégiers and the villages of Heyres, Chanolles and Chavailles. These schools provided aprimary education to boys.[47] No instruction was given to girls, nor under theFalloux Laws of 1851, which required the opening of a girls school in the communes with more than 800 inhabitants,[48] nor did the firstDuruy Law (1867), which lowered the threshold to 500 inhabitants, concern Blegiers.[49] The commune took advantage of subsidies from the second Duruy Law (1877) to build new schools everywhere. Only the Blegiers school was renovated.[54] It is only with the Ferry Laws that girls became educated regularly.
While the settlement was isolated,polyculture allowed most of the needs to be met.Wine was produced locally, but had a poor reputation. A polyculture, the highest in the Bléone Valley, was abandoned beforeWorld War I.[55] The decline of self-sufficient polyculture continued after World War II, and harvesting wheat was stopped in 1958.[56]
The community of Mariaud appears in texts in 1218 (Mariaudum). With a consul from 1237, it had 50feus in 1315, but only 10 by 1471.[57] The Church of Mariaud reported to theAbbey of Saint-Ruf [fr] inValence, but it was thePrior ofBeaujeu, who collected thetithe.[43]
In the conflict betweenCharles, Duke of Durazzo andLouis I, Duke of Anjou in the succession ofJeanne I, the Lord of Mariaud, Gui de Saint-Marcial, supported Louis as the Duke of Anjou from the spring of 1382.[52]
It had 195 inhabitants in 1765.[57]
As Prads and Blégiers, Mariaud acquired a school well before the Jules Ferry laws, for the hamlet of Vière.[47] Also as with Blégiers and Prads, no instruction was given to girls by the Falloux Laws of 1851,[48] and nor did the first Duruy Laws of 1867 apply to Mariaud.[49] Again, it was with the Ferry Laws that Mariaud girls became educated regularly.
In 1939, after displacement of the village, the main settlement became Vière at Saume Longue.[58]
During theFrench Revolution, the communes of Blegiers and Prads each had a patriotic society, both created after the end of 1792.[59]
On 30 July 1944, the hamlet of Eaux-Chaudes was burned by theWehrmacht. From 1954 to 1959 theForeign Legion set up a camp at a place called Les Eaux-Chaudes, which hosted 30 legionaries. This camp is now in ruins.[60]
The town of Prads merged with that ofMariaud [fr] in 1973. That ofBlégiers [fr] joined them in 1977, and the commune was renamed Prads-Haute-Bléone.[61]
On 24 March 2015,Germanwings Flight 9525, anAirbus A320 flying fromBarcelona toDüsseldorf, crashed in the mountains nearDigne in the SouthernFrench Alps and wasdeliberately caused by the co-pilot, killing all 150 people on board. The co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had previously been treated for suicidal tendencies and was declared unfit to work by his doctor.
| The arms of Prads-Haute-Bléone areblazoned: Gold to a fess of azure accompanied by six trefoils vert, ranked three in chief and three in base.[62] |
| Start | End | Name | Party | Other details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In the post in 1829 | Still in the post in 1838 | Antoine Segond[43] | Known asToniou | |
| ... | ||||
| In the post in 1944 | Adrien Roux[60] | |||
| May 1945 | Joseph Garcin[63] | |||
| ... (?) | ||||
| 1983 (?) | In progress (as of 21 October 2014) | Bernard Bartolini[64][65][66] | RPR | Restaurant owner |
The premises of the school of Blegiers contains the municipal library.[67]
In 2012, Prads-Haute-Bléone had 186 inhabitants. From the 21st century, places with less than a population of 10,000 have had a census every five years (2007, 2012, 2017, etc. for Prads-Haute-Bléone). Since 2004, the other figures are estimates.
The municipality had 180 inhabitants in 1990 against 980 for the three communes of Blegiers, Mariaud and Prads[68] in 1881. All of the three communes experienced a population peak in the 1830s with 1294 inhabitants in 1836.
The table and chart[clarification needed] that follow relate to the population of the municipality of Prads until 1968, then the new municipality of Prads (with Mariaud) in 1975, and finally Prads-Haute-Bléone (with Blegiers) from 1982.
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| Population without double counting from 1962 to 1999; municipal population from 2006 Source: Cassini of theEHESS until 1962;[61]INSEE from 1968[69] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the 19th century, after a period of growth, Prads showed a 'slack' period where the population remained relatively stable at a level high. This period lasted from 1811 to 1851. Therural exodus [fr] then caused a movement of long-term demographic decline. By 1921, the municipality records the loss of more than half of its population over the historic high of 1836.[70] The downward movement stops definitively than in the 1960s. Since then, the population has resumed some growth.
For the enumeration of 1315, Blegiers, Chanolles, and Champourcin populations were added together.
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| Population without double counting from 1962 onwards. Source: Baratier, Duby & Hildesheimer for the Ancien Régime;[51]EHESS[71] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The demographic history of Blegiers is marked by the loss of population during the 14th and 15th centuries due to theBlack Death and theHundred Years' War, crises which completely destroyed the communities of Chanolles and Champourcin and also touched that of Blegiers, strongly.
In the 19th century, after a period of growth, Blegiers had a 'slack' period where the population remained relatively stable at a level high. This period lasted from 1821 to 1851. Therural exodus [fr] then caused a faster long-term decline than in Prads. By 1906, the settlement had lost more than half of its population, since the historic maximum in 1836.[70] The downward movement continued until the 1970s and the merger with Prads.
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| Population without double counting from 1962 onwards. Source: Baratier, Duby & Hildesheimer for the Ancien Régime;[57]EHESS[72] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Just like Blegiers, Mariaud is marked by a loss of population during the 14th and 15th centuries due to theBlack Death and theHundred Years' War, and lost 80% of its population between 1315 and 1471. However, the depopulation crisis had been over for several decades by 1471.
In the 19th century, after a period of growth, Mariaud shows a period of 'slack' for longer than its neighbours, from 1806 to 1866. Though, if therural exodus [fr] began here later, it affected Mariaud, Blegiers and Prads with equal strength. In 1911, the town had lost more than half its population compared to the historical maximum of 1831.[70] The downward movement continued until the 1960s and brought about the merger with Prads.
The RD107 road offers beautiful panoramic views.
The Sainte-Anne Parish Church of Prads, which dates from the 14th century, was entirely rebuilt in 1876–1878, and repaired in 1888. Thenave, long with threebays, leads into achancel of false-styleGothic.[73] It is oriented to the north-west.
The Abbey of Sainte-Marie-de-Villevieille, known as Faillefeu or Prads[74] was built in the middle of the 12th century by the monks of Boscodon, which was then given to the Abbey of Cîteaux. The priory was then dependent on Cluny.[74] The church has collapsed completely and is a pile of earth and stone, between the monastic buildings still standing.[75]
The commune of Prads-Haute-Bléone gathers three old communes and six medieval communities, which explains the large number of religious buildings that are found in its territory:
The Château de Mariaud is in a state of ruin.[43]
This book, very well documented, traces the history of the ancient Abbey of Faillefeu and the exploitation of the homonymous forest. The author cites ancient families involved in the logging and transport of logs floated along the Bléone Valley.
This book is the transcription of the book by reason of a family of farmers, over 6 generations, living in the hamlet of Adret, within the former commune of Mariaud. It traces mainly baptisms and the accounts of the household, as well as important transactions received before a notary.
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