Mauriac, Cantal

Mauriac
Mauriac
Subprefecture and commune
	Notre-Dame-des-Miracles basilica
	Coat of arms
	Location of Mauriac
	Mauriac Mauriac
	Coordinates: 45°13′11″N 2°20′03″E / 45.2197°N 2.3342°E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Cantal
Arrondissement	Mauriac
Canton	Mauriac
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Edwige Zanchi
Area 1	27.61 km2 (10.66 sq mi)
Population (2021)	3,519
• Density	130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	15120 /15200
Elevation	351–760 m (1,152–2,493 ft) ; (avg. 722 m or 2,369 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Mauriac (French pronunciation:

Auvergne region in south-central France

.

It lies 63 kilometres (39 mi) north-northwest of Aurillac by rail.

Mauriac, built on the slope of a volcanic hill, has a medieval church, and the buildings of an old abbey now used as public offices and dwellings; the town owes its origin to the abbey, which originated from a 6th-century foundation.

Geography

Mauriac is situated in the northwest of Cantal, close to the border with the

Limousin

departments.

The greater part of the Mauriac arrondissement is watered by the Saint-Jean, a brook which flows past the southwestern edge of the town and fills the lac du Val Saint-Jean, a small reservoir, before flowing into Auze, an important tributary of the Dordogne.

Mauriac is in hilly terrain, with the main populated area falling into a zone at an altitude of about 350–450 metres, while the surrounding areas rise to about 760 metres in the volcanic foothills.

History

Childebert, daughter of

Benedictine abbey of Saint Peter, the centre of a considerable pilgrimage

.

Increasing wealth allowed the abbey to begin construction of a considerable

Ascension of Christ, in the 13th. The belfry fell into disrepair during the French Wars of Religion and during the French Revolution

, requiring reconstruction in 1625 and in 1845. The two towers were 17th century additions.

The abbey itself was dissolved during the Revolution and the land sold off in lots. The remains of the abbey buildings were incorporated into houses and municipal buildings. A large part of these remains, including the

Ministry of Culture

.

The town became notable during the Revolutionary period for the work of

beatified by Pope John Paul II

in 1996.

The church, now known as Notre-Dame-des-Miracles, was promoted to the status of basilica in 1921, under Pope Benedict XV, and is now one of 167 churches so recognised in France. It remains a place of pilgrimage, and its fine furnishings and fittings attract considerable interest.

Administration

Mauriac is the seat of a sub-prefect and has a tribunal of first instance and a communal college. The present mayor is a member of the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement.

Population

Inhabitant of the area are known as Mauriacois in French.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	3,803	—
1975	4,093	+1.06%
1982	4,333	+0.82%
1990	4,224	−0.32%
1999	4,019	−0.55%
2007	3,898	−0.38%
2012	3,753	−0.76%
2017	3,603	−0.81%
Source: INSEE^[3]

Culture and language

The Mauriac area is a stronghold of the

mother tongue in many homes and is still used in public and in private by some residents. Its lexis, grammar and phonology

are also likely to influence the usage of spoken French. The placename Mauriac has precisely the same written form in both languages but is pronounced as "Mouria" in Auvergnat.

Economy

Mauriac is the main market town and shopping centre of the arrondissement. It still attracts pilgrims, as well as tourists because of its proximity to the Dordogne valley and the mountains of Cantal, particularly the Puy Mary. The countryside of Mauriac and its neighbouring communes is known as the Pays de Salers, and is marketed under this name. It is famous for its dairy industry, particularly Salers and Cantal cheeses. There are marble quarries in the vicinity of Mauriac.

Major buildings

Mauriac has a considerable number of medieval and early modern buildings, mostly grouped in its historic centre, close to the basilica church and the former abbey site. Together, they form the main focus for tourists in the town.

Romanesque basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Miracles

A fine building in a local Auvergnat version of the

Baroque

furnishings.

Remains of Saint Peter's abbey

The abbey was built in the 12th century to replace an earlier

Carolingian monastery, which had itself been built on the site of a pagan shrine dedicated to Mercury. The most important remains, including the chapter house

, are now in municipal ownership.

Former Jesuit college

Built after 1563 under the terms of a bequest of

lycée

.

Hôtel d'Orcet

Built in the 18th century by Gabriel de Viger d'Orcet, a local tax collector, and incorporating a restored 15th-century tower, the hôtel houses two large Aubusson tapestries representing outdoor games. Today it is the headquarters of the sub-prefecture.

Notable people

Encyclopediste movement, was educated by the Jesuits
at Mauriac.

Jean-Baptiste Lacoste (died 1821), was a lawyer in Mauriac before the Revolution, and later a member of the National Convention and an active revolutionary.
Blessed Catherine Jarrige (4 October 1754 – 4 July 1836), known as Catinon Menette, a beatified third-order Dominican of the Catholic Church (see above) was active mainly in Mauriac and is venerated locally.
German occupation of France during World War II and of the Vichy
régime.

Fernand Talandier (15 May 1872 – 22 August 1957), who was born at Murat, to the east of Mauriac, was a French politician. He served as mayor of Mauriac for a prodigious term, from 1912 to 1945. In 1936, he entered the Chamber of Deputies as a Radical Independent, and a supporter of the democratic left bloc. He nevertheless supported the handover of power to Marshal Philippe Pétain in 1940. He never recovered his credibility and was unable to regain a political mandate after the war.
Marius-Félix-Antoine Maziers (1 March 1915 – 14 August 2008), born at Mauriac, was an archbishop of Lyon and later Archbishop of Bordeaux.
Louis Bergaud (30 November 1928), born at Embrassac de Jabeyrac, a hamlet to the north of Mauriac, was a French professional road bicycle racer.

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mauriac". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE

Gallery

Choir of Notre-Dame-des-Miracles.
Virgin and Child
, Notre-Dame-des-Miracles.
Banner showing the Blessed Catherine Jarrige in Notre-Dame-des-Miracles.
The Hôtel de Ville or town hall, situated on the main square at right angles to the church.
Le lac du Val St Jean, a small reservoir near Mauriac.
The town of Mauriac viewed from the lac du Val St Jean.