Pair-et-Grandrupt
Encyclopedia
Pair-et-Grandrupt is a commune
in the Vosges
department in Lorraine
in northeastern France
.
The commune takes its name from the two substantial hamlets of Le Pair et Grandrupt.
to the east, Nayemont-les-Fosses
to the west and north and Remomeix
together with Sainte-Marguerite
in the south.
For those unfamiliar with the traditional lay-out of mountain villages in the Vosges Mountains
, the pattern of settlement in this commune may appear curiously dispersed: roads are underdeveloped and the uneven topography enforces a patchy and dispersed footprint for the hamlets. In fact developments in the twentieth century have in some ways contributed to the spreading of the settlement pattern. In common with many rural communes, Pair-et-Grandrupt suffered a prolonged population decline which set in after the agricultural depression which started in the 1870s and from which there was no sustained recovery until the second half of the twentieth century. In this commune, however, the trend reversed as the motor transport revolution improved general access to rural communes: population has risen strongly since 1972. Between 1968 and 1999 registered population (excluding double counting in respect of students and others with two registered homes) increased from 200 to 439, and the construction of a modern water supply network supported by appropriate pipes and pumps has made it possible to build on formerly dry mountainside sites, and at levels of housing density which in earlier centuries was not possible simply because the nearest usable water supply was insufficient and/or too far away.
. Beside the church at Bertrimoutier is a large cemetery
-ossuary
which for centuries has welcomed the mortal remains of people from a wide area along the southern flank of the Ormont Hills. The rapid increase in population Pair-et-Grandrupt that has been underway since the final decades of the twentieth century is giving rise to discussion as to whether the needs of growing numbers of Christian believers in Pair-et-Grandrupt are now sufficiently served by The Church
.
have been owned and controlled between a dispersed succession of landlords and protectors, but the ecclesiastical administration has been a much more constant theme, the village being subject to the former monastery of Bertrimoutier and still, today, within the parish of Bertrimoutier.
During the early and middle Medieval periods, it is thought that Le Pair Grandrupt and Villers were part of a single extended village in the Duchy of Lorraine. At some point, probably in the fourteen century and possibly in connection with plague
induced depopulation, Villers disappeared. It was replaced by Neuvillers ("new Villars")
a short distance to the east: but now that the territories of the various settlements were no longer contiguous, the communities drifted apart.
In 1594 the territory belonged to the provostship
of Saint-Dié
and the bailiwick of Nancy. Between the end of the Duchy of Burgundy
in 1477
and the final incorporation of Lorraine
into France that followed the death of the Last Duke in 1766, there were several French
invasions and periods of occupation affecting Lorraine and other de facto buffer states between France
and the The Empire
, but relatively untroubled in their mountain seclusion the administrative arrangements of the hamlets of Le Pair, Grandrupt and Vanifosse remained unchanged except that in 1710 the bailiwick was switched to Saint-Dié
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
department in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
in northeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The commune takes its name from the two substantial hamlets of Le Pair et Grandrupt.
Geography
The commune is spread over various little hills and valleys between the fields of the Fave valley (which has its source here at an altitude of 350) meters and the mamillated Ormont Hills to the north. The territory of the commune forms a triangle between Neuvillers-sur-FaveNeuvillers-sur-Fave
Neuvillers-sur-Fave is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are called Neuvillois.-Geography:...
to the east, Nayemont-les-Fosses
Nayemont-les-Fosses
Nayemont-les-Fosses is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are called Nayemontais.-Geography:...
to the west and north and Remomeix
Remomeix
Remomeix is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France....
together with Sainte-Marguerite
Sainte-Marguerite
Sainte-Marguerite may refer to:* Île Sainte-Marguerite, the largest of the Lérins Islands, off the cost of France, near CannesSainte-Marguerite is name of section of town in Belgium:...
in the south.
For those unfamiliar with the traditional lay-out of mountain villages in the Vosges Mountains
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
, the pattern of settlement in this commune may appear curiously dispersed: roads are underdeveloped and the uneven topography enforces a patchy and dispersed footprint for the hamlets. In fact developments in the twentieth century have in some ways contributed to the spreading of the settlement pattern. In common with many rural communes, Pair-et-Grandrupt suffered a prolonged population decline which set in after the agricultural depression which started in the 1870s and from which there was no sustained recovery until the second half of the twentieth century. In this commune, however, the trend reversed as the motor transport revolution improved general access to rural communes: population has risen strongly since 1972. Between 1968 and 1999 registered population (excluding double counting in respect of students and others with two registered homes) increased from 200 to 439, and the construction of a modern water supply network supported by appropriate pipes and pumps has made it possible to build on formerly dry mountainside sites, and at levels of housing density which in earlier centuries was not possible simply because the nearest usable water supply was insufficient and/or too far away.
Ecclesiastical
The religious tradition here has been characterised by chapel-style Christianity. The commune has no church or curé of its own, being still part of the large parish of BertrimoutierBertrimoutier
Bertrimoutier is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-External links:*...
. Beside the church at Bertrimoutier is a large cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
-ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
which for centuries has welcomed the mortal remains of people from a wide area along the southern flank of the Ormont Hills. The rapid increase in population Pair-et-Grandrupt that has been underway since the final decades of the twentieth century is giving rise to discussion as to whether the needs of growing numbers of Christian believers in Pair-et-Grandrupt are now sufficiently served by The Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
History
The southern slopes of the Ormont Hills between the hamlet of Vanifosse and FrapelleFrapelle
Frapelle is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-References:*...
have been owned and controlled between a dispersed succession of landlords and protectors, but the ecclesiastical administration has been a much more constant theme, the village being subject to the former monastery of Bertrimoutier and still, today, within the parish of Bertrimoutier.
During the early and middle Medieval periods, it is thought that Le Pair Grandrupt and Villers were part of a single extended village in the Duchy of Lorraine. At some point, probably in the fourteen century and possibly in connection with plague
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
induced depopulation, Villers disappeared. It was replaced by Neuvillers ("new Villars")
Neuvillers-sur-Fave
Neuvillers-sur-Fave is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are called Neuvillois.-Geography:...
a short distance to the east: but now that the territories of the various settlements were no longer contiguous, the communities drifted apart.
In 1594 the territory belonged to the provostship
Provost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
of Saint-Dié
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, commonly referred to as Saint-Dié, is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:...
and the bailiwick of Nancy. Between the end of the Duchy of Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
in 1477
Battle of Nancy
The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine...
and the final incorporation of Lorraine
Lorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
into France that followed the death of the Last Duke in 1766, there were several French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
invasions and periods of occupation affecting Lorraine and other de facto buffer states between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the The Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, but relatively untroubled in their mountain seclusion the administrative arrangements of the hamlets of Le Pair, Grandrupt and Vanifosse remained unchanged except that in 1710 the bailiwick was switched to Saint-Dié
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, commonly referred to as Saint-Dié, is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:...
.