Alleins

Alleins
The Chapel of Saint John
Coat of arms
Alleins
Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region  Alleins
Coordinates: 43°42′16″N 5°09′45″E / 43.7044°N 5.1625°ECoordinates: 43°42′16″N 5°09′45″E / 43.7044°N 5.1625°E
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement	Arles
Canton	Eyguières
Intercommunality	Salon-Étang de Berre-Durance
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Philippe Grange
Area^1	16.78 km^2 (6.48 sq mi)
Population (2012)^2	2,428
• Density	140/km^2 (370/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	13003 / 13980
Elevation	104–345 m (341–1,132 ft) (avg. 168 m or 551 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.

Alleins is a French commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Alleinois or Alleinoises^[1]

Geography

Alleins is located some 45 km south-east of Avignon and 10 km north-east of Salon-de-Provence. It can be accessed by the D16 road from Salon-de-Provence which passes through the village and continues north-east to Mallemort. The D23 road from Lamanon to Mallemort also passes through the north of the commune. The Électricité de France Canal passes through the north of the commune from west to east. Most of the commune is farmland but the whole area south of the village is heavily forested. The TGV Railway line from Avignon to Marseilles passes through the commune but there is no station.^[2]

There are numerous streams and canals in the commune in all areas.^[2]

Neighbouring communes and villages^[2]

History

In April 1545, during the wars of religion, Alleins was pillaged by troops of Paulin de la Garde under the direction of Jean Maynier, the lord of Oppede and first president of the Parliament of Aix. The land was confiscated and the people massacred.^[3]

French Revolution

A Committee of Revolutionary Surveillance was established in Alleins in 1793. It was made up partly of simple peasants who were sometimes illiterate and this institution somehow marked the democratic heyday of the Revolution. Illiterate members took their place in the debates and in turn occupied the place of president. The committee in charge of monitoring the implementation of laws devoted much of their time to reading, copying, and discussing their scope thus contributing to the political and democratic education of citizens. In their primary mission, to arrest suspects, they were very cautious and legalistic unlike the tyrannical reputation of these committees. They also defended the village community, for example in the case of the statue of Equality which was overturned in June 1794. After investigation, a committee member after meeting the Représentant en mission Maignet spared any untoward consequence for the commune.^[4]

Heraldry

Blazon: Gules, ten lozenges of Or posed 4, 4, 2.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[5]

From	To	Name	Party	Position
2001	2014	Yves Fabre	DVG
2014	2020	Philippe Grange	DVG

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2012, the commune had 2,428 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.^{[Note 1]}

Population Change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
1,054	1,014	1,152	1,268	1,358	1,329	1,261	1,288	1,355

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
1,267	1,327	1,175	1,144	1,086	1,075	1,034	991	983

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
855	814	847	728	734	721	718	768	821

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2010	-
969	975	1,041	1,224	1,759	2,070	2,368	2,414	-

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:

• A Bullring (20th century)^[6]
• Ancient fragments of the City gate and the Cemetery Chapel (1st century)^[7]

Religious heritage

The commune has two religious sites that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Chapel of the White Penitents (1608).^[8] The chapel contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • The Wall Panelling with Cathèdres (18th century)^[9]
  • 2 Processional Staves of penitence (18th century)^[10]
  • 2 Processional Banners: the Immaculate Conception (19th century)^[11]
  • A Processional Banner: 2 Penitents kneeling (19th century)^[12]
  • A Processional Cross (18th century)^[13]
  • A Statue: Saint Joseph (18th century)^[14]
  • A Statue, processional dais: Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (19th century)^[15]
  • An Altar (19th century)^[16]
• The Romanesque Cemetery Chapel of Saint John^[17]

Other religious sites

• The Parish Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Painting: The Institution of the Rosary (18th century)^[18]
  • 2 Chasses-Reliquaries (19th century)^[19]
  • 4 Reliquaries (19th century)^[20]
  • A set of 12 Candelabra, 6 large Candelabra, 4 smaller Candelabra with angels, 2 large door Candelabra (19th century)^[21]
  • The main Altar (19th century)^[22]
  • A Baptismal font (16th century)^[23]
• The Cemetery contains a Bas-relief (19th century) which is registered as an historical object.^[24]

See also

• Cantons of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
• Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
• Arrondissements of the Bouches-du-Rhône department

External links

• Bouches-du-Rhone Prefecture website (French)
• Bouches-du-Rhone General Council website (French)
• Camargue website (French)
• Alleins on the old National Geographic Institute website (French)
• Alleins on Lion1906
• Alleins on Google Maps
• Alleins on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (French)
• Alein on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Alleins on the INSEE website (French)
• INSEE (French)

Notes and references

Notes

1. At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 , the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" which allow, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For municipalities with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these municipalities is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

1. Inhabitants of Bouches-du-Rhône (French)
2. Google Maps
3. Pierre Miquel, The Wars of Religion, Paris, Club France Loisirs, 1980 (ISBN 2-7242-0785-8), p 131-133 (French)
4. Jacques Guilhaumou and Martine Lapied, Peasants and politics under the French Revolution from the files of the Surveillance Committees of Bouches-du-Rhône, Rives nord-méditerranéennes, May 2000, online 25 March 2004
5. List of Mayors of France
6. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA13001206 Bullring (French)
7. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00081116 City gate and Cemetery Chapel (French)
8. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00081115 Chapel of the White Penitents (French)
9. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13002678 Wall Panelling with Cathèdres (French)
10. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13002677 2 Processional Staves of penitence (French)
11. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13002676 2 Processional Banners: the Immaculate Conception (French)
12. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13002675 Processional Banner: 2 Penitents kneeling (French)
13. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13000283 Processional Cross (French)
14. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13000282 Statue: Saint Joseph (French)
15. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13000281 Statue, processional dais: Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (French)
16. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13000280 Altar (French)
17. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00081114 Cemetery Chapel (French)
18. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13002674 Painting: The Institution of the Rosary (French)
19. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13001891 Chasses-Reliquaries (French)
20. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13001890 4 Reliquaries (French)
21. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13001889 Candelabra (French)
22. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13001888 Main Altar (French)
23. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13000278 Baptismal font (French)
24. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM13000279 Bas-relief (French)