Ars-sur-Formans

Ars-sur-Formans
View of Ars with the basilica
Coat of arms
Ars-sur-Formans
Location within Rhône-Alpes region Ars-sur-Formans
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ain
Arrondissement	Bourg-en-Bresse
Canton	Reyrieux
Intercommunality	Dombes-Saône Vallée
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Richard Paccaud
Area1	5.5 km2 (2.1 sq mi)
Population (2009)2	1,326
• Density	240/km2 (620/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	01021 / 01480
Elevation	226–281 m (741–922 ft) (avg. 240 m or 790 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Ars-sur-Formans is a French commune in the Ain department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arsois or Arsoises

Geography

File:Vialatte - AMBERIEU - Gare des Tramways de Cerdon et Ars.JPG

The town was served by a metre-gauge Tramway from 1897 to 1951, from Ambérieu and Cerdon

The village is in the south-western part of the Ain department 33 km north of Lyon and 10 km east of Villefranche-sur-Saône in the heart of the Dombes region - known for its many lagoons. Ars-sur-Formans is on the Dombes plateau while to the west it borders the fertile hills of the Val de Saône. A small river, the Formans, passes through the commune.

The D44 road from Savigneux west to Beauregard forms much of the northern border of the commune. Access to the village is by road D904 going west from Savigneux and continuing to join the D934 west of the commune. The road D888 also runs south-east of the village to Rancé.

The Formans river runs from east to west across the commune just south of the village to join the Saône river near Saint-Bernard.

Toponymy

The name of the commune comes from Arsa meaning "burnt". Long known simply as Ars, the commune changed its name to Ars-sur-Formans by a decree of 12 October 1956 published in the Official Journal on the 18th of the same month.

History

The name Ars appeared as early as the year 969. In the 11th century Ars was one of the many strongholds of the Lordship of Villars and his mansion was located next to the church. In 1226 Jean of Ars sold his land to the monastery of Île Barbe but Villars retained sovereignty. In the 14th century, the protection of the castle was divided between the Lord of Villars and that of Beaujeu.

The village was burned by the troops of Viry in 1409 and was obliged to submit to the consequences of the Wars of Religion throughout the following century.

The parish of Ars belonged to the Principality of Dombes and the Châtellenie of Trévoux before being absorbed with all of the Dombes, into the Kingdom of France in 1762.

In 1790 Ars was made a commune of the Ain Department, belonging to the Canton of Trévoux, then attached to Reyrieux in 1985.

Since the mid-19th century, the name of Ars was universally associated with its holy parish-priest, Saint Jean-Marie Vianney. Well before his canonisation by Pope Pius XI in 1925 there were many pilgrimages. On 6 October 1986, Pope John Paul II travelled to the village of Ars-sur-Formans, during his third visit to France.

Heraldry

Blazon: Paly of six Or and Azure.

Administration

The Town Hall

The War Memorial

List of Mayors of Ars-sur-Formans

From	To	Name	Party	Position
?	1808	François Cinier
1808	1815	Antoine Mandy
1815	1821	Michel Sève
1821	1831	Antoine Mandy
1831	1838	Michel Sève
1838	1879	Claude Prosper Garnier des Garets
1879	1884	Gaspard Sève
1884	1896	Jean-Baptiste Mandy-Trève
1896	1904	Michel Verchère
1904	1912	André Benoît Trève
1912	1915	Jean-François Cinier Trève
1915	1919	Jean-Claude Mandy
1919	1944	Jean-François Cinier Trève
1944	1945	Louis Gillet
1945	1947	Antoine Mandy Demole
1947	1965	Pierre Paturel
1965	1977	Jean-Claude Dupont
1977	1983	André Gillet
1983	1995	Henri Dutruge
1995	2008	Patrick Sandron
2008	2014	Patrick Duvivier
2014	2020	Richard Paccaud

(Not all data is known)

Twinning

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Ars-sur-Formans has twinning associations with:

• Freihalden (Germany) since 1977.

Demography

In 2009 the commune had 1,326 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.

Population Change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
222	211	230	268	304	337	399	501	510

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
522	492	561	583	584	516	522	512	481

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
495	473	497	488	450	441	470	481	522

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2009	-	-
460	496	480	719	851	1,100	1,326	-	-

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Population of Ars-sur-Forman

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has many sites that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Park on the Chemin de Chateau
• The Girls' School and Orphanage of Providence (1827)
• A House at Rue des Ecoles (19th century)
• A School at Rue des Ecoles (1906)
• A House at Rue Jean-Marie Vianney (19th century)
• The Town Hall / School at Rue Jean-Marie Vianney (1840)
• The Sainte-Philomène Garden at Rue Jean-Marie Vianney
• The Chateau des Garets Park
• The Sainte-Anne Farmhouse at Champ du Chateau (19th century)

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Croix des Combes (Combes Cross) (1853)
• The Monumental Cross of the 1847 Jubilee (1847)
• The Croix Micholet (Micholet Cross) (1612)
• The Croix Tonneau (Tonneau Cross) (18th century)
• The Presbytery for the Priest of Ars (18th century)
• The former Church and Basilica (12th century)
• The Garnier des Garets family Tomb (1856)
• The Presbytery (1886)
• The Presbytery of Saint Curé d'Ars (18th century) The Presbytery and the chapel containing the relic of the heart of Saint Curé are now a museum and open to visitors. The reception desk and the spiritual activities of the sanctuary are organised by the priests of the sanctuary: the congregation of Benedictine nuns called the Tyburn Nuns and the Brothers of the Holy Family of Belley. The year 2009 marked the Jubilee of the 150th anniversary of the death of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney. On the occasion of the sacred international year for priests 2009-2010 the sanctuary hosted nearly 600,000 pilgrims including 35,000 priests. The Historial du Saint-Curé-d'Ars revives the decor of the period and reconstitutes in 17 scenes and 35 wax figures the history of the Curé of Ars. Ars is part of the Association of sanctuaries in France, and holds the title "tourist village of Ain".
• The Parish Church of Saint-Sixte (11th century) The Basilica of Ars, partly built in 1862 by the Lyon architect Pierre Bossan and his successor Sainte-Marie-Perrin, forms an extension to the old church. It houses the remains of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney, the parish-priest of Ars and the patron saint of all parish priests. This place of pilgrimage hosts more than 500,000 people each year.
• The Tomb of the heart of Jean-Marie Vianney (1932)

The commune has a very large number of religious items that are registered as historical objects. For a complete list with descriptions (in French) click here.

Basilica of Ars Gallery

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  Cross at the entrance to the Basilica

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  View of the Basilica from 1900

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  Basilica exterior

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  Basilica interior

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  The dome of the Basilica

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  East side of the Basilica

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  Plaque on the wall of the Basilica

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  Plaque on the Basilica

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  Basilica Interior

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  Stained glass in the Basilica

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  Stained glass in the Basilica

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  Basilica door

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  Tomb of Jean-Paul Vianney

Presbytery of the Curé of Ars Gallery

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  Presbytery exterior

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  Presbytery Entrance

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  Plaque from Pope Benedict XVI

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  Access to the garden of the presbytery

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  Old wagon in the presbytery

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  Statue of the priest behind the presbytery

The Chapel du Coeur Gallery

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  The Chapel du Coeur

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  The Chapel du Coeur entrance

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  Interior of the Chapel du Coeur

Local life

Religious communities

• There are several communities present in Ars: the Working Missionary Sisters (Providence House), the Franciscan Sisters (Saint-Jean House), the Carmelite Sisters, the Benedictines of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, the Brothers of the Holy Family of Belley (Guardians of the Sanctuary), the priests of the Jean-Marie Vianney Society (John Paul II Sacred Hall for the reception of priests and for International Seminar for the training of priests).

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  Entrance to the underground Notre-Dame-de-la-Miséricorde

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  Staircase to the underground Notre-Dame-de-la-Miséricorde

Events

• On the second Sunday in February: Feast of the arrival of the Saint (evocation of the arrival of the Saint at the Meeting Monument, procession, solemn Mass, adoration of the blessed Sacrement, vespers with catechism)
• the Sunday following Easter Sunday: Divine Mercy Sunday (Mass, education, Solemn Vespers ...
• Every Wednesday in June: Groups of children at home (visit, Mass, games)
• in June, Mass and Procession of the festival of God in the village;
• 4 August (anniversary of the death of the Saint): Festival of the Saint Curé (Lauds, Solemn Mass, Procession, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Vespers, spiritual concert
• 8 December: Festival of the Immaculate Conception, lighting the village and entertainments

Event at the Carmel of Saint Curé of Ars founded in 1939

• In 1986 and 2007 the movie-art-recreation association made two films about Carmel of the Holy Curé of Ars in the movie series "Relief of France: the monasteries" and a paper on John Paul II during his meeting with the Carmelites on 6 October 1986.

Notable people linked to the commune

• The commune is the homeland of Saint Curé of Ars - Jean-Marie Vianney.

See also

• Communes of the Ain department

External links

• Ars-sur-Formans Tourist Office (French)
• Ars-sur-Formans Basilica (16 images) (French)
• Ars-sur-Formans on Lion1906
• Ars-sur-Formans on Google Maps
• Ars-sur-Formans on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (French)
• Ars on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Ars-sur-Formans on the INSEE website (French)
• INSEE (French)