Auvergne (province)

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This article is about the historical county and province of Auvergne. For the modern-day administrative région of Auvergne, see Auvergne (region).

Auvergne coat of arms

Auvergne (Occitan: Auvèrnhe/Auvèrnha) was the name of an historically independent county in the center of France, as well as later a province of France. It is the name of the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province. The traditional capital of the province of Auvergne was Riom.

Today, the whole of the province of Auvergne is contained inside the administrative région of Auvergne, a région which also includes provinces and territories that were not part of Auvergne historically. The capital of the région of Auvergne is Clermont-Ferrand.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Economy
4 Culture
5 Notable residents
6 Notable Fictional Residents
7 References

[edit] History

Traditional costume in Auvergne around 1900

Auvergne was a province of France deriving its name from the Arverni, a Gallic tribe who once occupied the area. In 475 the region was acquired by the Visigoths, against the wishes of the inhabitants (recorded by Sidonius Apollinaris). In 507 it was conquered by the Franks, again not without resistance (recorded by Gregory of Tours). In the year 1095, the historic Council of Clermont was held there, to rally support for the First Crusade. In 1790, the historical province was divided into the modern-day départements of Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Haute-Loire, and Allier, although Haute-Loire and Allier also include some land from the historical provinces of Bourbonnais, Lyonnais and Languedoc.

See also Rulers of Auvergne

[edit] Geography

The largest city of Auvergne is Clermont-Ferrand (409,558 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 1999), having replaced Riom as the capital of Auvergne. A large part of the Auvergne region is covered by the volcanic Massif Central mountain range, which stretches over nearly one-sixth of France's total area.

[edit] Economy

The region is famed for its cheeses, exports of mineral waters (Volvic among others), and tires (Michelin). It is also the site of a number of major hydroelectric projects, mainly located on the Dordogne, Cère, and Truyère rivers.

[edit] Culture

The Auvergnat, a dialect of the Occitan language, was historically spoken in Auvergne. It is still spoken there.

Composer Joseph Canteloube based Songs of the Auvergne (1923-55), his well-known piece for voice and orchestra, on folk music and songs from Auvergne.

Singer-songwriter Georges Brassens composed Chanson pour l'Auvergnat.

Clark Ashton Smith wrote a series of short stories based in the mythical region of Averoigne, a fictional counterpart to this region.

Novelist Anne Rice's fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt was born and raised in the Auvergne in the 1700s.

[edit] Notable residents

Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, (1757-1834), born in Auvergne, a national hero in both France and the United States for his roles in the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolution.^[1]
Audrey Tautou, internationally successful French actress was born and raised in Auvergne, and, as her last name shows, is your typical Occitan.