Chiddes, Nièvre

Chiddes (French pronunciation: [ʃid]) is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.^[3]

Chiddes
Commune
The church in Chiddes
Location of Chiddes
Chiddes Show map of France Chiddes Show map of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Coordinates: 46°51′42″N 3°56′29″E
Country	France
Region	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Department	Nièvre
Arrondissement	Château-Chinon (Ville)
Canton	Luzy
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Bernadette Voilliot[1]
Area 1	26.04 km2 (10.05 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	353
• Density	14/km2 (35/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	58074 /58170
Elevation	244–515 m (801–1,690 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

The toponymy of Chiddes is unclear (probably of Gallo-Roman or Celtic origin like many towns in the region), but is first attested as Chides in the 1300s.

Despite now being a small village, Chiddes has a rich history, filled with folklore and legends back to Antiquity, such as relating to Roman artefacts of Emperors like Alexander Severus and Diocletian, pagan stones, Saint Maurice (even being called "the country of St. Maurice" despite him most likely never setting foot there), Saint Martin of Tours and his donkey and a vicious-turn-tamed bear, St. Gangulphus, local lords and fiefs, the French Wars of Religion, and more.

Demographics

According to the 1999 census, the population was 373. On 1 January 2019, the estimate was 339.

See also

• Communes of the Nièvre department