Chirac, Lozère

Chirac (French pronunciation: [ʃiʁak]; Occitan: Chairac) 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.^[2] Its population was 1,144 in 2019.^[1]

Chirac
Part of Bourgs-sur-Colagne
A view of Chirac and St-Bonnet
Coat of arms
Location of Chirac
Chirac Show map of France Chirac Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 44°31′29″N 3°15′58″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Lozère
Arrondissement	Mende
Canton	Chirac
Commune	Bourgs-sur-Colagne
Area 1	33.79 km2 (13.05 sq mi)
Population  (2019)[1]	1,144
• Density	34/km2 (88/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	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.

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

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1962	801	—
1968	789	−0.25%
1975	689	−1.92%
1982	894	+3.79%
1990	983	+1.19%
1999	1,006	+0.26%
2006	1,080	+1.02%
2019	1,144	+0.44%
Source: EHESS[3] and INSEE[1]

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. Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019, INSEE
2. Arrêté préfectoral 15 December 2015
3. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Chirac, EHESS (in French).

External links

• Official town website