Belley

For other uses, see Belley (disambiguation).

Belley (French pronunciation: [bəlɛ] ^ⓘ;^[3][4][5] Arpitan: Bèlê) is a subprefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France. It is the capital of the historical region of Bugey,^[6] although not its largest city, which is Oyonnax, to the north. In 2020, the commune had a population of 9,207.

Belley Bèlê (Arpitan)
Subprefecture and commune
Palais épiscopal de Belley
Coat of arms
Location of Belley
Belley Show map of France Belley Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°46′00″N 5°41′00″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ain
Arrondissement	Belley
Canton	Belley
Intercommunality	Bugey Sud
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Dimitri Lahuerta[1]
Area 1	22.42 km2 (8.66 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	9,270
• Density	410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Demonym	Belleysans
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	01034 /01300
Elevation	220–392 m (722–1,286 ft) (avg. 306 m or 1,004 ft)
Website	www.belley.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

Belley is of Roman origin; in the 5th century it became an episcopal see. It was the capital of the province of Bugey, which was a dependency of Savoy till 1601, when it was ceded to France. In 1385 the town was almost entirely destroyed by an act of arson, but was sequentially rebuilt by the dukes of Savoy, who surrounded it with ramparts of which little is left.^[7]

Belley was the birthplace of the epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

Ecclesiastical history

Belley was the seat of the Bishop of Belley and is the location of Belley Cathedral. Belley is the home region of St Peter Chanel, the famous 19th-century Marist missionary martyr and protomartyr of Oceania.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	7,049	—
1975	7,583	+1.05%
1982	7,981	+0.73%
1990	7,807	−0.28%
1999	8,004	+0.28%
2007	8,665	+1.00%
2012	8,870	+0.47%
2017	9,103	+0.52%
Source: INSEE[8]

Climate

Belley features an oceanic climate (Cfb) but with strong continental influences due to its far inland position and its proximity to the Jura mountains under the Köppen system. Both temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) and air frosts are common.

Climate data for Belley (1991−2020 normals, extremes 2001−present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	18.8 (65.8)	21.0 (69.8)	24.5 (76.1)	29.2 (84.6)	32.6 (90.7)	37.3 (99.1)	38.6 (101.5)	40.1 (104.2)	32.8 (91.0)	26.6 (79.9)	22.6 (72.7)	17.2 (63.0)	40.1 (104.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	5.7 (42.3)	8.0 (46.4)	13.1 (55.6)	17.9 (64.2)	21.0 (69.8)	25.9 (78.6)	28.1 (82.6)	27.2 (81.0)	22.9 (73.2)	17.3 (63.1)	10.5 (50.9)	6.2 (43.2)	17.0 (62.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	2.7 (36.9)	4.1 (39.4)	8.2 (46.8)	12.3 (54.1)	15.5 (59.9)	19.9 (67.8)	21.6 (70.9)	21.0 (69.8)	17.3 (63.1)	12.8 (55.0)	7.1 (44.8)	3.2 (37.8)	12.1 (53.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−0.3 (31.5)	0.1 (32.2)	3.2 (37.8)	6.6 (43.9)	9.9 (49.8)	13.8 (56.8)	15.2 (59.4)	14.7 (58.5)	11.6 (52.9)	8.3 (46.9)	3.8 (38.8)	0.3 (32.5)	7.3 (45.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−11.3 (11.7)	−13.4 (7.9)	−11.0 (12.2)	−2.3 (27.9)	0.9 (33.6)	4.0 (39.2)	7.7 (45.9)	7.6 (45.7)	2.6 (36.7)	−2.2 (28.0)	−6.6 (20.1)	−12.5 (9.5)	−13.4 (7.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	103.6 (4.08)	76.5 (3.01)	89.6 (3.53)	76.0 (2.99)	100.7 (3.96)	86.5 (3.41)	79.4 (3.13)	93.4 (3.68)	63.3 (2.49)	118.3 (4.66)	111.2 (4.38)	101.3 (3.99)	1,099.8 (43.30)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	10.9	8.6	10.6	8.3	12.1	9.0	7.8	9.0	7.2	10.2	10.3	11.0	114.8
Source: Météo-France[9]

Economy

The town is famed for its cheese, la Tome de Belley, also known as Chevret or still "Le pavé d'Affinois". It is also at the centre of the Bugey wine region. It is also home to a sizeable Volvo production unit producing compact excavators, Comatel and Ciat.

Personalities

• Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas lived at Bilignin near Belley through much of WW2.^[10] Stein wrote 'Wars I have seen' as a diaristic account of that time. See also Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice, Janet Malcolm, c. 2007.
• French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was born and lived in Belley and served as its mayor for some time.
• French writer Andrée Martinerie (1917–1997) writer winner of the 1961 Prix des Libraires was born in Belley.

See also

• Communes of the Ain department