Chirac, Lozère

Chirac
A view of Chirac and St-Bonnet
Coat of arms
Chirac
Location within Languedoc-Roussillon region  Chirac
Coordinates: 44°31′29″N 3°15′58″E / 44.5247°N 3.2661°ECoordinates: 44°31′29″N 3°15′58″E / 44.5247°N 3.2661°E
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Lozère
Arrondissement	Mende
Canton	Chirac
Intercommunality	Gévaudan
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Henri Boyer
Area^1	33.79 km^2 (13.05 sq mi)
Population (1999)^2	1,006
• Density	30/km^2 (77/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	48049 / 48100
Elevation	605–1,254 m (1,985–4,114 ft) (avg. 640 m or 2,100 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.

Chirac is a former commune in the Lozère département in southern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Bourgs-sur-Colagne.^[1]

Geography

Situated on the banks of the Colagne river in the heart of the Massif central. The D809 road passes through the village.

Population

Historical population of Chirac, Lozère

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
Population	801	789	689	894	983	1006
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places and monuments

• The Fare dolmen
• The twelfth century Romanesque church.
• The chapel of Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
• The family chapels of the Chazette and the Volmanières
• The English cross: The English, who ravaged the country in the 14th century, were soundly beaten in a battle on the heights of the village. This place carries today the name of Cemetery of the English or Cross of the English. A cross, on which there is an inscription "CH des M" and "1701 - 1922", marks the site of the battle. During the construction of the A75 autoroute, the cross was renovated and moved a few metres from its original position.
• The bridge over the Colagne river.

Activities

As in the majority of the towns of Lozère, the principal activity is farming, although service industry sectors have started to play a larger part in the region.

• Farming is essentially sheep and cattle. The size of the upland meadows allows the farmers to have comparatively large flocks.

Notable people

• Colonel Marceau Crespin (1915–1988)
• Nicolaï Greschny (1912–1985), artist

See also

• Communes of the Lozère department

References

1. Arrêté préfectoral 15 December 2015

External links

• Official town website