Meaulne-Vitray

Meaulne-Vitray
Commune
The bridge on the Aumance in Meaulne
Location of Meaulne-Vitray
Meaulne-Vitray Show map of France Meaulne-Vitray Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 46°35′56″N 2°36′58″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Allier
Arrondissement	Montluçon
Canton	Bourbon-l'Archambault
Intercommunality	CC du Pays de Tronçais
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Pierre-Marie Delanoy[1]
Area ^1	50.10 km^2 (19.34 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	901
• Density	18/km^2 (47/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	03168 /03360
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Meaulne-Vitray (French pronunciation: [mo(l)n vitʁɛ]) is a commune in the department of Allier, central France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger of the former communes of Meaulne (the seat) and Vitray.^[3]

History

In an effort to guarantee the maintenances of public services in the face of the reduction in state donanations, the 1 January 2017 [fr], the communes of Meaulne and Vitray — which did not have a church, cemetery, and no longer a school, in addition to relying on infrastructure from Meaulne — fused to become the commune nouvelle of Meaulne-Vitray.^[4]

Politics and administration

Administrative and electoral attachments

Meaulne-Vitray is situated in the Montluçon arrondissement in the department of Allier. Within the department, the commune is attached to the Canton of Bourbon-l'Archambault.

For legislative elections to the National Assembly, Meaulne-Vitray is part of Allier's 2nd legislative constituency.

Intercommunality

Since its inception the commune has been a part of the communauté de communes du Pays de Tronçais.

List of delegated communes

List of delegated communes of the Meaulne-Vitray

Delegated Commune	INSEE code	Intercommunality	Area (km^2)	Population (2014)	Density (per km^2)
Meaulne (seat)	03168	CC du Pays de Tronçais	21.07	776	37
Vitray	03318	CC du Pays de Tronçais	29.03	101	2.5

List of mayors

List of successive mayors of Meaulne-Vitray

In office		Name	Party	Capacity	Ref.
1 January 2017	Incumbent	Pierre-Marie Delanoy		Mayor of Meaulne (2008-2016) Vice President of the CC du Pays de Tronçais (2008–present)	[5][6]

Population

Population data refer to the commune in its geography as of January 2023.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,112	—
1975	1,034	−1.03%
1982	960	−1.06%
1990	941	−0.25%
1999	889	−0.63%
2009	889	+0.00%
2014	877	−0.27%
2020	908	+0.58%
Source: INSEE[7]

Local culture and heritage

Places and monuments

• Église Saint-Symphorien de Meaulne [fr], built in the 17th century, the church has been inscribed as a monument historique since 1985.^[8] It is notable for containing the particular sculpted group: Vierge de Pitié from the 16th century, and has itself been a monument historique since 1975.^[9]
• Église Saint-Éloi de Vitray [fr], built between the 12th and 17th centuries, the church consists of a bell tower entirely covered in shingles. It has been listed as a monument historique since 2 June 1976.^[10]
• Château du Plaix [fr], built in the 17th century, the castle has been listed as a monument historique since 1985.^[11]
• Château des Alliers [fr], located two kilometres from the town centre. The main body of the building dates back to the 17th century and was later supplemented with two pavilion-roofed wings. At one point the castle belonged to Général Georges Chevalier [fr], the father of French philosopher and government minister during the Vichy regime Jacques Chevalier.^[12] The residence, surrounded by a vast property had been abandoned prior to being restored and maintained by its current owners.
• La GilPat, old 8 acres farm which was built in 1905 and located at the foot of the Château des Alliers.
• Forest of Tronçais.

Notables individuals linked to the commune

See also

• Communes of the Allier department
• List of new French communes created in 2017 [fr]

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. Arrêté préfectoral 19 July 2016 (in French)
4. "Arrêté du 19 juillet 2016 portant création de la commune nouvelle de Meaulne-Vitray". Légifrance. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
5. "Politique - Municipales 2020 : Pierre-Marie Delanoy conduit la seule liste complète à Meaulne-Vitray (Allier)". La Montagne. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
6. "Un nouveau mandat pour Pierre-Marie Delanoy à Meaulne-Vitray". La Montagne. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
7. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
8. "Eglise Saint-Symphorien". Ministère Français de la Culture. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
9. "Groupe sculpté : Vierge de Pitié". Ministère Français de la Culture. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
10. "Eglise Saint-Eloi". Ministère Français de la Culture. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
11. "Château du Plaix". Ministère Français de la Culture. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
12. Germain, Réne; Laurent, Dominique; Piboule, Maurice; Regond, Annie; Thévenet, Michel (2014). Châteaux, fiefs, mottes, maisons fortes et manoirs en Bourbonnais. De Borée. p. 281. ISBN 978-2-84494-199-2.