Paray-le-Monial

Template:Infobox French commune

Paray-le-Monial {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Since 2004, Paray-le-Monial has been part of the Charolais-Brionnais region.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its inhabitants are called Parodiens and Parodiennes.

GeographyEdit

Paray-le-Monial is located in the southwest of the Saône-et-Loire Département, in the heart of the Charolais countryside, in a plain bounded by the Brionnais upland, the rivers Loire, l'Arroux and the Bourbince.

The roughly parallel Bourbince River and the canal du Centre traverse the city from the southeast to the northwest.

Among the elements that form the city, as it has developed over its history, are the upland near the Bourbince River, the priory and basilica, a rectangular town center with very dense housing, national highway N79, which crosses the Bourbince River east and west of the town center, a newer part of town located north of the town center, the Bellevue residential area to the southwest, and several suburbs.<ref>Michel Bouillot, « Contribution à l'étude des plans des villes clunisiennes », article paru dans Mélanges d'histoire et d'archéologie offerts au professeur Kenneth John Conant par l'association Splendide Bourgogne, Éditions Bourgogne-Rhône-Alpes, Mâcon, 1977, pp 173–204.</ref>

HistoryEdit

Paray (Paredum; Parodium) existed before the monks who gave it its surname of Le Monial: when Count Lambert of Chalon, together with his wife Adelaide and his friend Mayeul de Cluny, founded a Benedictine priory there in 973,Template:Sfn the borough had already been constituted, with its ædiles and communal privileges. At that time an ancient temple was dedicated to the Mother of God (Charter of Paray). The Cluny monks were lords of the town from 999 until 1789.

Because of its historical association with Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and Saint Claude de la Colombière, it has been called the "city of the Heart of Jesus".<ref>Emmanuel Community, Who are we?, accessed on 3 February 2025</ref>

PopulationEdit

Template:Historical populations

Main sightsEdit

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File:Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Paray le Monial.jpg

Basilica of Paray-le-Monial

File:Paray-le-Monial tour Saint-Nicolas 2.jpg

Saint Nicolas' tower

File:Cloître prieuré N-D, Paray - 71.jpg

Cloister

The town is mainly known for its Romanesque church of the Sacré-Coeur ("Sacred Heart") and as a place of pilgrimage. It was built starting in the 12th century as a small-scale version of the Abbey of Cluny. It was finished in the 14th century, while the cloister dates to the 18th century.

The Hôtel de Ville, in Renaissance style, is also one of the historical monuments. Another major building in Paray-le-Monial is Saint Nicolas' tower, built during the 16th century, which hosts different exhibitions but mainly mosaic exhibitions.

EconomyEdit

The area's primary industry is agriculture, in particular beef cattle farming. The area is known for its charolais cattle.

Notable peopleEdit

Saint Claude de la Colombière (1641–1682), Jesuit priest and the confessor of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.<ref>Template:Cite EB1911</ref>
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), Visitation nun and mystic who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.<ref>Template:Cite EB1911</ref><ref>Template:Cite EB1911</ref> Jesus' apparitions are recognized by the Roman Catholic Church.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jules Quicherat (1814–1882), historian and archaeologist.<ref>Template:Cite EB1911</ref>
Léon-Benoît-Charles Thomas (1826–1894), cardinal
Émile Buisson (1902–1956), gangster
Jacqueline Maillan (1923–1992), actress
Gérard Ducarouge (1941–2015), Formula One car designer
Richard Trivino (born 1977), goalkeeper
Vincent Clerc (born 1981), rugby union player
Alexandre Lapandry (born 1989), rugby union player