Sainte-Anne-d'Auray

Sainte-Anne-d'Auray
Santez-Anna-Wened

The Basilica of Sainte-Anne d'Auray

Coat of arms
Sainte-Anne-d'Auray

Coordinates: 47°42′15″N 2°57′10″W / 47.7042°N 2.9528°W / 47.7042; -2.9528Coordinates: 47°42′15″N 2°57′10″W / 47.7042°N 2.9528°W / 47.7042; -2.9528
Country France
Region Brittany
Department Morbihan
Arrondissement Lorient
Canton Auray
Intercommunality Pays d'Auray
Government
 • Mayor (2008—2014) Roland Gastine
Area1 4.97 km2 (1.92 sq mi)
Population (1999)2 1,844
 • Density 370/km2 (960/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 56263 / 56400
Elevation 36–57 m (118–187 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.

Sainte-Anne-d'Auray (Breton: Santez-Anna-Wened) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Sainte-Anne-d'Auray are called in French Saintannois.

Breton language

In 2008, 10,82% of all children in the area attended bilingual schools in primary education.[1]

Culture

The most notable feature of the village is the large Basilica of Sainte-Anne d'Auray, which is a major site of pilgrimage. Saint Anne is the patron saint of Brittany. The Basilica was built in the mid-nineteenth century to replace an earlier church which had housed an ancient statue of Anne. The statue was said to have been miraculously discovered by Yves Nicolazic, a local peasant, who claimed to have had visions from the saint asking him to build a church in her honour.[2] The statue was destroyed during the French Revolution. In the gardens is a large war memorial to Breton victims of World War I, containing sculptures by Jules-Charles Le Bozec. A large statue of Henri, comte de Chambord, the last significant Bourbon claimant to the monarchy of France, is at the end of the road leading to the now-disused railway station.

See also

References

  1. ↑ (French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
  2. ↑ Catholic Encyclopedia: Diocese of Vannes
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