Bassignac-le-Haut

Bassignac-le-Haut (French pronunciation: [basiɲak lə o]; Occitan: Bassinhac de Dessus) is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France.^[3]

Bassignac-le-Haut
Commune
An old barn in Bassignac-le-Haut
Coat of arms
Location of Bassignac-le-Haut
Bassignac-le-Haut Show map of France Bassignac-le-Haut Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 45°12′44″N 2°04′21″E
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Corrèze
Arrondissement	Tulle
Canton	Argentat-sur-Dordogne
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Jean Claude Turquet[1]
Area 1	18.37 km2 (7.09 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	152
• Density	8.27/km2 (21.4/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	19018 /19220
Elevation	253–628 m (830–2,060 ft) (avg. 540 m or 1,770 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Bassignacois or Bassignacoises .^[4]

Geography

Bassignac-le-Haut is located in the Massif Central some 20 km north-east of Argentat and 20 km south-east of Tulle. Access to the commune is by the D13 road from Darazac in the south which passes through the commune and the village before continuing north-east along the banks of the river then across to Saint-Merd-de-Lapleau. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Le Bousquet, Vaujour, Le Mas, Vernac, Maurel, and Ymons in the commune. The commune is mostly farmland but heavily forested along the river.^[5][6]

A lake formed by the Barrage du Chastang dam on the Dordogne river forms the western and northern border of the commune. The Ruisseau de vaujour rises in the north-west of the commune and flows the short distance north-west to the Dordogne. Similarly the Ruisseau du Roc Chabrier rises in the north and flows north into the Dordogne. The Ruisseau de la Cascade flows north through the eastern part of the commune to join the Dordogne east of the commune. The Ruisseau de Vieilzot rises just south of the commune and forms much of the southern border as it floes west to join the Dordogne in the south-western tip of the commune.^[5][6]

History

Bassignac-le-Haut appears as Baßignac le Haut on the 1750 Cassini Map^[7] and as Bassignac le Haut on the 1790 version.^[8]

Heraldry

Arms of Bassignac-le-Haut

The official status of the blazon remains to be determined. Blazon: Party per pale, at 1 Argent a bend Gules between 6 saltires Gules couped 2 and 1 at 1 and in bend at 2; at 2Gules a bend of Or, in chief Azure charged with 3 mullets of Or.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

From	To	Name
2001	2007	Raymond Delmas
2007	2008	Hubert Lavesque
2008	2011	Josette Puyraymond
2012	2026	Jean Claude Turquet

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 179 inhabitants.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 761 —     1800 668 −1.84% 1806 770 +2.40% 1821 795 +0.21% 1831 801 +0.08% 1836 790 −0.28% 1841 760 −0.77% 1846 822 +1.58% 1851 868 +1.09% 1856 833 −0.82% 1861 828 −0.12% 1866 813 −0.36% 1872 802 −0.23% 1876 813 +0.34% 1881 837 +0.58% 1886 774 −1.55% 1891 728 −1.22% 1896 704 −0.67%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 667 −1.07% 1906 653 −0.42% 1911 611 −1.32% 1921 511 −1.77% 1926 548 +1.41% 1931 486 −2.37% 1936 507 +0.85% 1946 518 +0.21% 1954 468 −1.26% 1962 429 −1.08% 1968 476 +1.75% 1975 426 −1.57% 1982 395 −1.07% 1990 311 −2.94% 1999 212 −4.17% 2007 178 −2.16% 2012 204 +2.76% 2017 179 −2.58%
Source: EHESS[9] and INSEE[10]

Culture and heritage

The Church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens

The Covered Cross

Religious heritage

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

• The Ouradour Cemetery Cross (Middle Ages)^[11]
• The Ciriex Cemetery Cross (12th century)^[12]
• A Covered Cross in the old cemetery (15th century)^[13]
• The Church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens (16th century)^[14] The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Painting with frame: Saint Roch (18th century)^[15]
  • A Painting with frame: John the Baptist (18th century)^[16]
  • An Altar Painting with frame: Christ on the Cross (18th century)^[17]
  • A Painting with frame: Presentation of the Rosary to Saints Dominic and Catherine (18th century)^[18]

Notable people linked to the commune

• Stephen of Obazine (1085-1154), priest and hermit famed for his pious nature. Born in the commune.

See also

• Communes of the Corrèze department