Balignicourt

Balignicourt
Balignicourt Church
Balignicourt
Location within Champagne-Ardenne region  Balignicourt
Coordinates: 48°31′00″N 4°27′42″E / 48.5167°N 4.4617°ECoordinates: 48°31′00″N 4°27′42″E / 48.5167°N 4.4617°E
Country	France
Region	Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine
Department	Aube
Arrondissement	Bar-sur-Aube
Canton	Chavanges
Intercommunality	Chavengeois
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Pascal Joanot
Area^1	13.06 km^2 (5.04 sq mi)
Population (2010)^2	77
• Density	5.9/km^2 (15/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	10027 / 10330
Elevation	109–166 m (358–545 ft) (avg. 111 m or 364 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.

Balignicourt is a French commune in the Aube department in the Champagne-Ardenne region of north-central France.

Geography

Balignicourt is located some 18 km north-west of Brienne-le-Château and 25 km south by south-west of Vitry-le-François. The northern border of the commune is the departmental boundary between Aube and Marne. Access to the commune is by the D56 from Jasseines in the west which passes through the south of the commune and the village before continuing east to Chavanges. The D156 goes north-east from the village to Margerie-Hancourt, changing to the D355 at the departmental border. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Les Ormées, Vendeuil and Les Vieilles-Vignes. The commune is entirely farmland except for a belt of forest along the river.^[1]

The Meldançon river flows through the commune from east to west and continues west to join the Aube near Morembert.

Neighbouring communes and villages^[1]

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[2]

From	To	Name	Party	Position
	1857	Jules Royer
2001	2008	Marcel Diart
2008	2014	Henri Paul Joanot
2014	2020	Pascal Joanot

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 77 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger communes that have a sample survey every year.^{[Note 1]}

Population Change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
209	189	167	208	285	215	223	204	220

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
233	228	230	215	209	204	200	200	180

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
167	161	172	149	164	162	180	190	144

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2010	-
148	153	147	111	93	94	85	77	-

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

Culture and heritage

Religious heritage

The commune has two religious buildings that are registered as historical monuments:

• A former Presbytery (18th century)^[3]
• The Church of Saints Peter and Paul (12th century)^[4] The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
  • 2 Paintings: Saint John the Baptist and the Virgin of the Assumption (17th century)^[5]
  • A Group Sculpture: Christ bound with Angels and emblems (1549)^[6]
  • A Statue: Christ on the Cross (18th century)^[7]
  • A Paten (18th century)^[8]
  • A Collection Box (18th century)^[9]
  • A Wardrobe (18th century)^[10]
  • A Chalice (19th century)^[11]
  • A Door (1771)^[12]
  • A Baptismal font (16th century)^[13]
  • A Statue: Christ on the Cross (18th century)^[14]
  • 4 Columns (17th century)^[15]
  • The Furniture in the Church^[16]
  • Stained glass figures (16th century)^[17]

Church Picture Gallery

• 

  Church exterior

• 

  Stained glass and statue in the Church

• 

  The Church Altar

• 

  Detail on the Church

Notable people linked to the commune

Charles Ragon de Bange

• Charles Ragon de Bange (1833-1914), born in Balignicourt, invented the first effective obturator (valve closure) system for breech-loading artillery.

See also

• Communes of the Aube department

External links

• Balignicourt on the old National Geographic Institute website (French)
• Balignicourt on Lion1906
• Balignicourt on Google Maps
• Balignicourt on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (French)
• Balignicourt on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Balignicourt on the INSEE website (French)
• INSEE (French)

Notes and references

Notes

1. At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by Law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002, the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" allows, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For communes with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these communes is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

1. Google Maps
2. List of Mayors of France (French)
3. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00078028 Presbytery (French)
4. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00078027 Church of Saints Peter and Paul (French)
5. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM10003619 2 Paintings: Saint John the Baptist and the Virgin of the Assumption (French)
6. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM10000121 Group Sculpture: Christ bound with Angels and emblems (French)
7. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10003189 Statue: Christ on the Cross (French)
8. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10002853 Paten (French)
9. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10002852 Collection Box (French)
10. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10002851 Wardrobe (French)
11. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10002850 Chalice (French)
12. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10002849 Door (French)
13. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10002773 Baptismal font (French)
14. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10002770 Statue: Christ on the Cross (French)
15. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10002697 4 Columns (French)
16. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10003290 Furniture in the Church (French)
17. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM10000735 Bay 12 IM10000734 Bay 9 IM10000733 Bay 8 IM10000732 Bay 4 (French)