Auvergne (province)

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Auvergne (province)

Auvergne (Occitan: Auvèrnhe/Auvèrnha) was a historic province in south central France

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province. The traditional capital of the province of Auvergne was Riom

Riom

Riom is a historic city in the Auvergne r?gion in France of France. It is a commune in France and sous-pr?fecture of the Puy-de-D?me D?partement in France....
.

Today, the whole of the province of Auvergne is contained inside the administrative région
Region

Region is a geographical term that is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. In general, a region is a medium-scale area of land or water, smaller than the whole areas of interest , and larger than a specific site A region may be seen as a collection of smaller units or as one part of a larger whole ....
of Auvergne

Auvergne (région)

Auvergne is one of the 26 administrative regions of France of France.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical provinces of France of Auvergne , and includes provinces and areas that historically were not part of Auvergne....
, a région which also includes provinces and territories that were not part of Auvergne historically.

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Encyclopedia

Auvergne (Occitan: Auvèrnhe/Auvèrnha) was a historic province in south central France

France

Riom

Auvergne (région)

Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune in France of France, in the Auvergne regions of France, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census....
.

History

Costume Traditonnel France Auvergne Grand 01

Auvergne was a province of France

Provinces of France

The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the d?partement in France system superseded provinces....
deriving its name from the Arverni
Arverni

Category:Tribes involved in Caesar's Gallic WarsThe Arverni were a Gallic tribe that inhabited the present-day region of Clermont-Ferrand, France....
, a Gallic

Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
tribe who once occupied the area. In 475 the region was acquired by the Visigoths, against the wishes of the inhabitants (recorded by Sidonius Apollinaris

Sidonius Apollinaris

Gaius Sollius Apollinaris Sidonius or Saint Sidonius Apollinaris , a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius was "the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul" according to Eric Goldberg....
). In 507 it was conquered by the Franks

Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
, again not without resistance (recorded by Gregory of Tours

Gregory of Tours

Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman History and Bishops of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather....
). In the year 1095, the historic Council of Clermont was held there, to rally support for the First Crusade

First Crusade

The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to the appeal from Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. The Emperor requested that western volunteers come to their aid and repel the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia, Modern day Turkey....
. In 1790, the historical province was divided into the modern-day départements of Puy-de-Dôme

Puy-de-Dôme

Puy-de-D?me is a departments of France in the center of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-D?me ....
, Cantal

Cantal

Cantal is a departments of France in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department....
, Haute-Loire

Haute-Loire

Haute-Loire is a departments of France in south-central France named after the Loire River....
, and Allier

Allier

Allier is a departments of France in south-central France named after the Allier River....
, although Haute-Loire and Allier also include some land from the historical provinces of Bourbonnais

Bourbonnais

Bourbonnais was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponded to the modern d?partement in France of Allier, along with part of the d?partement of Cher ....
, Lyonnais

Lyonnais

After the division of the Carolingian Empire, the region was part of the Kingdom of Burgundy. The disintegration of Imperial control over especially after the fall of the Hohenstaufen in 1254, led to French encroachment in the region, and the Lyonnais was acquired by King Philip IV of France in 1313....
, and Languedoc

Languedoc

Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day List of regions in France of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyr?n?es in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyr?n?es....
.

Economy

The region is famed for its charcuterie
Charcuterie

Charcuterie , derived from the French words for flesh and cooked , or in Italy Salumi , is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, p?t?s, and confit, primarily from pork....
, which is celebrated in "La Mangona" festivals in many Auvergnat villages, for its cheese

Cheese

Cheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cattle, Water Buffalo, goats, or sheep's milk. It is produced by Coagulation of the milk protein casein....
s (Saint Nectaire, Bleu d'Auvergne, Murol, Fourme d'Ambert), and for its mineral water

Mineral water

Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the water....
s (Volvic

Volvic

Volvic is a commune in France of the Puy-de-D?me d?partement in France, in Auvergne , France. Population : 4,202.Volvic is town twinning with Kirriemuir in Scotland....
among others). Michelin

Michelin

Michelin based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne r?gion of France, is primarily a tire manufacturer, currently the world's second largest....
tires are produced there. Auvergne is also the site of several major hydroelectric

Hydropower

Hydropower, hydraulic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of moving water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes....
projects, mainly located on the Dordogne

Dordogne River

The Dordogne is a river in south-central and southwest France....
, Cère, and Truyère rivers.

Culture

Auvergnat, a dialect of the Occitan language

Occitan language

Occitan , known also as Lenga d'?c or Langue d'oc is a Romance languages spoken in Occitania, that is, Southern France, the Occitan Valleys of Italy, Monaco and in the Aran Valley of Spain....
, was historically spoken in Auvergne. It is still spoken there. Aubrac oxen, a rare breed, are raised in the Aurbrac hills.

Composer Joseph Canteloube

Joseph Canteloube

Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret was a France composer, musicologist, and author best known for his collections of orchestrated folksongs from the Auvergne region....
based Songs of the Auvergne (1923-55), his well-known piece for voice and orchestra, on folk music

Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
and songs from Auvergne.

Singer-songwriter Georges Brassens

Georges Brassens

Georges Brassens was a France singer-songwriter.Georges Brassens was born in S?te , a town in southern France near Montpellier. Now an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his simple, elegant songs and articulate, diverse lyrics; indeed, he is considered one of France's most accomplished postwar poets....
composed Chanson pour l'Auvergnat.

Notable residents

Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de la Fayette was a French military officer born in the province of Auvergne in south central France....
, (1757-1834), born in Auvergne, was a national hero in both France and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
for his roles in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
and the French Revolution
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
.
Guy Debord
Guy Debord

Guy Ernest Debord was a French Marxist theorist, writer, filmmaker, Hypergraphics and founding member of the groups Lettrist International and Situationist International ....
, writer and leader of the Situationist International, acquired a country house in the region in 1975, where he frequently lived until committing suicide there in 1994.
Audrey Tautou
Audrey Tautou

Audrey Justine Tautou *Hors de prix - Ir?ne *The Da Vinci Code - Sophie Neveu *Les Poup?es russes - Martine *Un long dimanche de fian?ailles - Mathilde ...
, internationally successful French actress, was born and raised in Auvergne: her surname is typically Occitan.
Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix , born around 82 BC, died 46 BC, was tribal chief of the Arverni, originating from the Arvernian city of Gergovia and known as the man who led the Gauls in their ultimately unsuccessful war against Roman republic rule under Julius Caesar....
, King of the Arverni, leader of the Gallic resistance against Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar

'Gaius Julius Caesar' , July 13, 100 BC ? March 15, 44 BC,) was a Roman Republic military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
.
Joseph Canteloube
Joseph Canteloube

Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret was a France composer, musicologist, and author best known for his collections of orchestrated folksongs from the Auvergne region....
, (1879-1957), French composer.

Notable fictional residents

Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat de Lioncourt

Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire Lestat. He is a vampire and the main character in the majority of The Vampire Chronicles, narrated in first person....
Gabrielle de Lioncourt
Gabrielle de Lioncourt

Gabrielle de Lioncourt is a fictional character that appears in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. She makes her debut in the second book The Vampire Lestat....
Nicolas de Lenfent