Josselin

Commune in Brittany, France

Josselin Josilin
Commune
View of Josselin Castle from the River Oust
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Josselin
(2020–2026)		Nicolas Jagoudet^[1]
Area ¹	4.48 km² (1.73 sq mi)
Population (2021)^[2]	2,535
• Density	570/km² (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	56091 /56120
Elevation	32–93 m (105–305 ft) (avg. 30 m or 98 ft)
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Josselin (French pronunciation: [ʒɔslɛ̃] ^ⓘ; Breton: Josilin) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.^[3]

History

St Meriadek is said to have founded a chapel there during the 4th century. Much later Josselin became a stronghold of the House of Rohan.

An alternative explanation for the location of the chapel concerns a labourer who in 808 discovered a wooden statue in the brambles which enabled his hitherto blind daughter to see. A chapel was constructed on the site of this miracle which subsequently grew into a church (parts of which date back to the twelfth century). A fresco in the church now recalls the Combat of the Thirty summarized below.

In 1351, during the Breton War of Succession (part of the Hundred Years' War), two groups of approximately 30 English knights (led by Robert Bramborough, the English captain of Ploërmel) and Franco-Breton knights (commanded by Jean de Beaumanoir, captain of Josselin) staged an arranged combat at a spot halfway between the Chateau de Josselin and Ploërmel. The Franco-Breton side eventually won after killing or capturing the English force, including Bramborough. This episode was later known as the Combat of the Thirty.

The Castle of Josselin can still be seen today, although only four of the original nine towers remain after the Cardinal Richelieu ordered the castle partially demolished in 1629.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	2,283	—
1975	2,611	+1.94%
1982	2,548	−0.35%
1990	2,338	−1.07%
1999	2,419	+0.38%
2007	2,578	+0.80%
2012	2,453	−0.99%
2017	2,495	+0.34%
Source: INSEE^[4]

Inhabitants of Josselin are called Josselinais in French.

Breton language

In 2008, 16.05% of children attended the bilingual schools in primary education.^[5]

Twin towns

Josselin is twinned with:

Alzey, Germany

Tard, Hungary

Brechin, Scotland, UK ^[6]

References

^ "Maires du Morbihan" (PDF). Préfecture du Morbihan. 7 July 2020.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Commune file, INSEE
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
^ (in French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
^ "Twin towns - Complete France". Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Josselin.

Official website (in French)
Base Mérimée: Search for heritage in the commune, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
Mayors of Morbihan Association (in French)