La Balme-les-Grottes


La Balme-les-Grottes is a commune in the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France.
WWW labalmelesgrottes.com

Geography

La Balme-des-Grottes is located some 32 km east by north-east of Lyon and 11 km south of Ambérieu-en-Bugey on the right bank of the Rhône. The Rhône also forms the departmental border between Isère and Ain. Access to the commune is by the D65 road from Leyrieu in the south which passes through the length of the commune and the village and continues north to join the D1075 west of Vertrieu. The D52B branches from the D65 in the commune and goes south to Saint-Baudille-de-la-Tour. The D52C also branches from the D65 at the same intersection and goes south-east to Charette. The commune is mixed forest and farmland with dense forests in the north-east.
The Rhône river forms the entire western border of the commune with no crossing points anywhere in the commune. The commune is covered by a network of canals linked to the Rhône and the Ruisseau de Laye which is a minor loop of the Rhône.

Neighbouring communes and villages

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History

Neanderthal men from the Middle Paleolithic period left flint tools and food scraps in the La Balme caves. Around 15000/13000 BC, in the late Upper Paleolithic, Cro-Magnon hunters did the same in the shelter of the cave: flints and bones of reindeer, ibex, aurochs, and horses have been found.
From about 4000 BC, Neolithic farmers colonised the region leaving their polished axes, flints, and pots in Louvaresse and Travers. Collective graves and vases have also been found in the cave from that time. It was especially at the end of the Bronze Age that they left very important remains : numerous tombs with cremation urns and animal offerings have been found in crevices and under boulders in a large part of the cave. It is an underground necropolis of the Urnfield culture notable for its wealth of ceramic vases.
Part of the archaeological material from all eras is displayed in the Heritage House at Hières-sur-Amby where it was sent in 1985 by the excavators.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors
FromToName
20012014Didier Chapit
20142020Martine Gabeure
20202026Jean-Pierre Berthelot

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Balmolans or Balmolanes in French.

Economy

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has many buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:
  • Houses
  • The Town Hall / School at Route de Lagneu
  • The Chateau de Salette. The remaining buildings of the former Carthusian monastery of Salette. The facades and roofs of the chateau are from the 19th century. In October 1299 Dauphin Humbert I of Viennois founded a monastery for women of which three buildings remain. During the French Revolution the monastery was sold and is home for some time to an earthenware factory. The chateau was built around 1870-1880 and preserves some decorations from that time.
  • The Chateau d'Amblérieu
  • The War Memorial
  • Mills
  • A Lavoir
  • The Chateau de La Serve
  • The '''Chateau Delphinal'''

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
  • A Wayside Cross at Rue des Grottes
  • The Favre family Tomb
  • The Tomb of Eudoxie Gigard
  • The Péricaud family Tomb
  • The Cemetery
  • The Priory of Notre-Dame
  • The Chapel of Notre-Dame of the Grotto The Chapel contains a large number of items that are registered as historical objects.
  • The Parish Church of Saint Peter The Church contains a large number of items that are registered as historical objects.

Environmental heritage

Notable people linked to the commune