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Last modified: 2009-12-12 by ivan sache
Keywords: ain | rhone-alpes | lions: 2 (black) | lion (ermine) | lion: half (red) | hempbrakes: 3 | fleurs-de-lis: 3 (yellow) | bresse | gex | dombes | bugey | bourbon | joinville |
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![[Flag of Ain]](../images/f/fr-01.gif)
Flag of Ain - Image by Ivan Sache, 22 September 2009 - hempbrakes and lion ermine after GASO
See also:
Code: 01
Region: Rhône-Alpes
Traditional province: Burgundy
(Bourgogne)
Bordering departments: Isère,
Jura, Rhône,
Saône-et-Loire,
Savoie,
Haute-Savoie
Bordering country: Switzerland (Cantons
of Genève and
Vaud)
Area: 5,762 km2
Population (2007): 573,500 inhabitants
Préfecture: Bourg-en-Bresse
Sous-préfectures: Belley, Gex, Nantua
Subdivisions: 4 arrondissements, 43 cantons, 419 communes.
The department is named after river Ain (200 km), tributary of the Rhône.
The creation of the Lyon Intermunicipal Authority have caused the transfer (Law of 29 December 1967, published in the French official gazette on 30 December 1967, with effect on 31 December 1967) of the six municipalities of Genay, Montanay, Rillieux, Crépieux-la-Pape (merged in 1972 with Rillieux to form Rillieux-la-Pape), Sathonay-Camp and Sathonay-Village from the department of Ain to the department of Rhône. Accordingly, Ain lost 37 km2 of its territory.
Ivan Sache, 11 November 2009
The flags representing the departments of Region Rhône-Alpes are
hoisted, together with the Region's flag, in front of the seat of the
Regional Council at Charbonnières-les-Bains, near Lyon, as shown on a photo taken by Pascal Vagnat on 12 February 2006.
The Department of Ain is represented by a banner of the arms:
Écartelé, au premier : d'or à la bande d'azur accompagnée de deux lions de sable, l'un en chef, l'autre en pointe; au second : d'azur à trois morailles d'or liées d'argent et posées en fasces l'une sur l'autre, et un chef d'argent chargé d'un lion issant de gueules; au troisième : d'azur à trois fleurs de lis d'or et à la cotice de
gueules en bande brochant sur le tout; au quatrième : de gueules au
lion rampant d'hermine.
("Quarterly: 1. Or a bend azure between two lions rampant sable; 2.
Azure three hempbrakes fesswise in pale or tied argent a chief argent
a demi-lion rampant issuant gules; 3. Azure three fleurs de lis or
overall a bendlet couped gules; 4. Gules a lion rampant ermine.")
There is no evidence, however, of the use of this flag in the
Department of Ain.
Paul Chaix (Armorial des communes et collectivités des pays de
l'Ain, 1995) gives a different coat of arms for the Department:
Écartelé, au premier : d'azur au lion contourné d'hermine ; au second : d'azur aux trois morailles d'or rangées en pal et au chef d'argent chargé d'un lion issant de gueules ; au troisième : d'azur aux trois fleurs de lis d'or et au bâton péri en bande de gueules ; au quatrième : de gueules au lion d'hermine ; sur l'écartelé une croix tréflée d'argent.
The difference with the arms shown on the flag lies in the first
quarter, "Azure a lion rampant contourned ermine" and in the cross
botonny argent placed overall.
These arms are intended to represent the four traditional components
of the department, 1. Pays of Bresse, as the arms of the lords of
Bâgé-le-Châtel, the fomer capital of Bresse; 2. Pays de Gex, as the arms of the Joinville family; 3. Dombes, as the arms of Bourbon, owners of Dombes since 1400. 4. Bugey, as the arms of the local lords.
The cross bottony, from the arms of the Order of St. Maurice, is taken
from the arms of Bourg-en-Bresse, the capital of the department.
The main discrepancy between the flag and the arms of Ain, except the
cross not shown on the flag, is the first quarter representing Bresse.
According to Brian Timms, Robert Louis assigned to Ain the former arms of Bresse, D'argent à la bande d'azur accompagnée de deux lions de sable l'un en chef, l'autre en pointe ("Argent a bend azure between two lions rampant sable"). These arms were indeed ascribed to Bresse in the Armorial Général. The flag of Ain uses the same arms in its first
quarter, but with the field yellow instead of white.
For Pays de Gex, Timms recalls that the Joinville (same family as the
famous chronicler Jean de Joinville, 1225-1317) were lords of Gex in
1251-1353. The hempbrakes are shown in the municipal arms of Joinville
(Department of Haute-Marne, Region Champagne) as the canting arms (in usual French, a hempbrake is called broie) of the Broyes family, a cadet of Joinville.
Ivan Sache & Pascal Vagnat, 22 September 2009
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