Cour-Cheverny

Cour-Cheverny
Cour-Cheverny
Location within Centre region Cour-Cheverny
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Loir-et-Cher
Arrondissement	Blois
Canton	Contres
Intercommunality	Blois
Government
• Mayor (2008–14)	Yves Antier
Area1	29.8 km2 (11.5 sq mi)
Population (1999)2	2,555
• Density	86/km2 (220/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	41067 / 41700
Elevation	73–118 m (240–387 ft) (avg. 87 m or 285 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.

Cour-Cheverny is a commune situated in the Loir-et-Cher department of the Centre region of France. The commune's land extends across the Loire Valley and across the Sologne region. Its inhabitants are known as Courchois.

Important historical landmarks

• The name Cour-Cheverny has its origins in the vulgar Latin word, curtis, meaning farm. It seems likely, then, that the village of Cour-Cheverny was once a large piece of land belonging to the nearby village of Cheverny.

• Over the years the village has had other names, such as Cour-en-Sologne, the name by which it was known up until the 19th century.

• The church was mentioned in 1145 as belonging to the Abbey of Bourgmoyen. It came under the diocese of Chartres at the time. Cour-Cheverny would have been a curtis, or farm, near to the small town of Cheverny, which began to grow in size and importance in the 6th century.

Monuments and sites of interest

• The Château of Sérigny, la Sistière, Beaumont, Chantreuil, les Murblins, and la Taurie.
• La Borde is a renowned psychiatric clinic offering institutional psychotherapy treatments
• The 12th-century church of Saint-Aignan, which was altered in the 16th and 17th centuries, has a nave with two bays, two aisles, a semi-circular apse, arcades of two-centred pointed arches, ribbed vaulting with a keystone dating from 1609, an east-facing great door and a tall framed spire on a central bell tower.
• The Chapel of Sérigny.
• The Oratory of la Boide.
• The Conon Valley.
• The Beuvron, a 115 km long tributary of the Loire, that runs into the Loire at Candé-sur-Beuvron.

Demographics

Historical population of Cour-Cheverny
(Source: INSEE)

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
Population	1713	1724	1863	2130	2347	2555
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Economy

Wine

The Cour Cheverny Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) was recognized in 1997. Geographically it corresponds to the commune of Cour-Cheverny and 10 other communes in the surrounding area. The single grape variety used is Romorantin, from which a dry, white wine is produced.

The Cheverny AOC, which was also recognized in 1997, covers a wider area but also includes the commune of Cour-Cheverny. The wines produced under this appellation are dry, white wines (the main grape variety being Sauvignon blanc), and red and rosé wines (the main grape variety being Gamay).

Tourism

The Ferme de la Gaudinière is a gîte with some bed and breakfast facilities. It is located in the hamlet of la Gaudinière, which takes its name from the gaude plant (weld), formerly used as a yellow colouring agent.

Local Calendar

• Weekly market day: Tuesday.
• Saints' Days and Local Shows:
  • town's saint's day: Whit Monday;
  • town show: Easter and the Sunday following 15 August.

Events calendar

Each year, in addition to national public holidays, Cour-Cheverny holds local events, including:

• Saint Vincent's Day, in honour of the patron saint of wine-growers, celebrated on 22 January.
• Bread Festival, first weekend in July.
• Flea Market, first weekend in August.
• Saint Cecilia's Day, in honour of the patron saint of musicians, celebrated on 22 November.

Hotels

Hotel and Restaurant	Hotel and Restaurant	Restaurant	Pizzeria
Des Trois Marchands	Le Saint Hubert	La Vieille Auberge	La Pergola

Shops

Trade	Number
Baker	2
Butcher	2
Grocer	2
Café	5
Tobacconist	2
Newsagent	2
Bookseller, etc.	1

Services

Trade	Number
Renault Garage	1
Peugeot Garage	1
Post Office	1
Dentist	1
Pharmacy	1
Doctor	4
Nurse	4
Police Station	1
Fire Station	1

Residential home for the elderly

• La Favorite is the establishment employing the highest number of local inhabitants.

Leisure activities

• Building model aeroplanes
• Music (the Cour-Cheverny Lyric Choir, Cheverny)
• Pistol and Rifle shooting
• Rambling
• Petanque

"Moorland to Lakeside" Association

• Cycling and Off-Road Cycling

Recreational club

• Keep Fit (all ages)

Sports clubs

• Football
• Tennis
• Table Tennis
• Basketball
• Badminton

There is even a combined sports association that oversees and coordinates 10 different sections (Gymnastics, Badminton, Basketball, Dance School, Football, Judo, Petanque, Table tennis, Shooting and Cycling (Moorland to Lakeside, i.e. off-road)). The association is called the E.S.C.C.C. (Étoile sportive de Cour-Cheverny et Cheverny or Sporting Star of Cour-Cheverny and Cheverny.)

A gymnasium, built in the last ten years, is available for indoor activities.

Future projects

• By the year 2006 approximately 50 new detached houses will be ready for occupation.

Prominent people associated with Cour-Cheverny

• Paul Renouard, the 19th-century artist, was born in Cour-Cheverny (above the present post office). An old commemorative plaque is still visible on the outside of the building.
• Jean-François Deniau, a French statesman and writer, 1928–2007.
• Alain Souchon, the French singer, songwriter and actor, has spent part of his holidays in the village ever since he was a child, and can sometimes be seen walking down the street.

See also

• Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department

External links

• Cour-Cheverny on the site of the National Geographic Institute