Chénérailles

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Coordinates: 46°06′47″N 2°10′34″E / 46.113, 2.176

Administration
Commune of Chénérailles Coat of arms of Chénérailles
Location

Country	France
Region	Limousin
Department	Creuse
Arrondissement	Aubusson
Canton	Chénérailles (chef-lieu)
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes de Chénérailles
Mayor	Gérard Berthelet (2001-2008)
Statistics
Elevation	487 m–553 m (avg. 560 m)
Land area^¹	7,77 km²
Population^² (1999)	759
- Density	97/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	23061/ 23130
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Chénérailles (Cheneralha in occitan) is a commune in the Creuse département in the Limousin region of France.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Population
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Chénérailles is the administrative centre of the canton of the same name. 12 miles to the north of Aubusson, on a hill, dominating marshy areas from which rises a tributary of the Voueize.

[edit] History

Originally a fortified stronghold going back to before Roman times, there’s plenty of evidence found of Roman occupation too (urns, papryus ashes, coins and medallions of the emperors Maximilian, Gallien, Gordien and Licinius). The city was once surrounded by a strong wall, in the middle of which there was a castle (since destroyed). These days, the site is occupied by the parish church of St Barthélémy. Chénérailles suffered from the wars against the English early in the 15th century, being almost completely destroyed, but Jacques and Bernard of Armagnac, Comtes de la Marche, rebuilt the place between the years 1430 and 1440. The first of these Counts, Jacques, re-confirmed several privileges that had been granted to Chénérailles, in 1265, by Hugues XII of Lusignan. In 1592, towards the end of the French Wars of Religion, the city supported the Catholic League and was besieged for 8 months, only surrendering when they were starved out.