Chaussenac
Description
Chaussenac or, CALCINACUM or, villa CALCINI (Gallo-Roman period), is situated in the heart of the Cantal Xaintrie at an altitude of 700m and today has some 250 inhabitants...
Chaussenac or, CALCINACUM or, villa CALCINI (Gallo-Roman period), is situated in the heart of the Cantal Xaintrie at an altitude of 700m and today has some 250 inhabitants...
Chaussenac already had a rich history by the time of Clovis; a dagger dating back to the Bronze Age has been found in the village. A druidic fountain and the remains of a menhir (now gone) also bear witness to a Celtic presence here. Clovis gave the seigniorial residence of Chaussenac and its outbuildings to his daughter Theodechilde (in the charter of Clovis it says: “et casam indominicatum in loco nuncupato CUCINIACO cum appenditiis". More recently, in the 19th century, some of Chaussenac’s population migrated to the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, etc. to work as umbrella merchants, canvas merchants, tinsmiths, etc.
The town is surrounded by 5 villages: Cheyssiol, Escladines, Contres, Ostenac, Cussac. This commune is one of the few in the arrondissement whose population is not currently declining. It covers an area of 1,600 hectares, with a hilly, farmland landscape covered mainly with natural meadows, woods and forests. Chaussenac is a cattle-breeding area, with herds of dairy and Salers breed cattle.
You can also visit a dozen wayside crosses (13th to 19th century) if you follow its roads lined with low stone walls covered with lichens, ferns, etc., shaded by ash, oak, hawthorns, etc.
Information
Amenities
Public WC
Language spoken
French