Espinasse (; ) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. Small farming village in the Pays of Combrailles, in the canton of Saint-Éloy-les-Mines, the village is nestled in a hollow, about nine kilometers west of the town of Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne.
During the Middle Ages and the Early modern period, the region of Combrailles was of paramount importance at territorial level because it was located at the crossroads of several lordships (Bourbonnais, Auvergne and Limousin). Therefore, the town of Espinasse suffered this proximity and was divided into fiefs belonging among others to the House of Le Loup, the House of Montmorency and the House of La Fayette.
Geography Espinasse is located some 30 km west of Combronde and 23 km north-west of Bromont-Lamothe. Access to the commune is by the D 13 from Charensat in the south-west which passes through the commune and the village before continuing north to Pionsat. The D 62 comes from Saint-Priest-des-Champs in the south-east. The D 18 comes from Saint-Julien-la-Geneste in the north-east. The D 528 comes from Bussières in the north-west. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.Google Maps
Neighbouring communes and villages
Source:Géoportail, IGN
Administration
From To Name 1800 1808 Gilbert Gory 1808 1813 Annet Lecuyer 1813 1815 Jean-Joseph Boutarel 1815 1816 Paul Sanne 1816 1818 Amable Nouhen 1819 1830 Charles Marien Baron 1830 1840 Claude Fribaud 1840 1849 Charles Marien Baron 1849 1875 Frédéric Gory 1875 1877 Marien Martin 1877 1885 Jean Chabry 1885 1889 Marien Lecuyer 1889 1893 François Carton 1893 1895 Gilbert Martin 1895 1904 Etienne Gory 1904 1912 Annet Charvillat 1912 1944 Eugène Charvillat 1944 1959 Michel Carte 1959 1975 Roger Laroche 1975 2005 François Gardet 2005 2020 Marc Gidel 2020 2026 Michel Bancarel
Demography The inhabitants of the commune are known as Espinassois or Espinassoises in French.Le nom des habitants du 63 - Puy-de-Dôme, habitants.fr
Culture and heritage
Cultural events and festivities The Hay Fest (La Fête des Foins in French) is the main festival in the village since 1998. It takes place in July.
Tourist monuments and places The Church of St. Martin, very old, is partly Romanesque but was changed to the 2nd Gothic era. A statuary element painted white stone shows St. Margaret of Antioch slaying the dragon. It dates from the fifteenth century. Saint Martin is the patron of the parish but is also under the protection of Saint Gal, second patron. The local school, completed in 1900, was also a town hall. The building was called Mairie-École at the time. The Résistance site at Cacherat - Camp Gabriel Peri - which received on 23 October 1943, one of the two groups of escapees from the prison of Le Puy-en-Velay. The Château of Pierrebrune, dating from the thirteenth century, rebuilt to modern, was the residence of the lords of Espinasse. In June 1440 during the Praguerie, King Charles VII, who came from Auzances and went to Montaigut-en-Combraille, passed through Pierrebrune. The War Memorial in front of the church.
See also Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department
References
External links Espinasse website